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. Provided by Kentucky Native Plant Society. Scanned by Omnitek Inc.
Where Commonly Found: Dry, open area, partial to calcareous and sandy sites., CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, VT.
How to Identify:
(For unfamiliar words: Wikipedia Glossary of Botanical Terms).
Go Botany Key for Gaillardia pulchella.
Missouri Botanical Garden’s description of Gaillardia pulchella. Click on more images.
Flower Type: Ray florets, three cleft, corollas are usually reddish to purplish with yellow to orange tips Disc florets are generally brownish red and often bicolored. Flower heads are 1 -2 inches across.
Flower Time: June to frost
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate leaves, mostly basal, on a hairy stem that is usually much branched,
Leaf Type: Linear leaf blades, 1/3″ – 1-1/2″ by 1-1/2″ – 5″, that are oblong or spatulate, entire margins that are sometime toothed or lobed, jointed hairs on leaf surfaces, pinnate venation.
Height: 1′- 1.5′
Seed Collection: Gaillardia pulchella is an annual. Cut off dried, brown seed heads after all petals have fallen off. Store for about two weeks in an open paper bag in a dry, well-ventilated space. Then rub the seed head and the seeds should fairly readily dislodge.
Attracts: Bee, Butterflies and Birds.
Use: Annual for naturalizing, self-seeds in driers soils.
Light: Full Sun
Hardiness Zone: USDA Zone Map
Soils: Dry to Medium
Notes: Gaillardia pulchella, Indian Blanket, is a showy, self-seeding annual with large daisy-like, red flowers lasting the whole summer, attracting lots of bumblebees. Leave the flower-heads to encourage reseeding and feeding the birds. Noted as deer-resistant by UVM.
Naturalized in most of the Northern US except the NW, native to much of the South: Biota of North America Program (BONAP) – North American Plant Atlas (NAPA).
Northeast Wild Seed Collectors 
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