USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. Vol. 3: 512.
Where Commonly Found: Meadows and Fields, CT, MA, NH, NY.
How to Identify:
(For unfamiliar words: Wikipedia Glossary of Botanical Terms).
Go Botany Key to Gaillardia aristata
Wildflower Center description of Gaillardia aristata.
Flower Type: Tubular, red disk flowers in the center and ray, often strap-shaped, around outside, 1″ long petals with 3-toothed tips and dark red bases. Flower time is mid-June to mid-September.
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate leaves, several naked erect stems hold the flowers, while leaf stems have spines that can be a skin-irritant
Leaf Type: simple, dandelion-like leaves, , lance-shaped near the base, clasping.
Height: .5′ – 2′
Seed Collection: Cut flower stalk after petal drop and seed heads are brown and dry. Place in paper bag in dry, well ventilated area. When totally dry, gently rub seed head above a bowl to dislodge seeds, pick out other detritus, store seeds in sealed bag or jar in cool dark place.
Attracts: Bees, Butterflies
Use: Garden, Naturalizing
Light: Full Sun
Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9 USDA Zone Map
Soils: Dry to Moist
Notes: Bees, the most important pollinators just love blanketflower and you will too. Easy to grow, maybe a bit short-lived for a perennial, but just plant some more in a few years.
Introduced to parts of the Northeast (except VT, ME), native to Northern Midwest and Western US: Biota of North America Program (BONAP) – North American Plant Atlas (NAPA).
Northeast Wild Seed Collectors 
You must be logged in to post a comment.