XGaillardia pulchella - Indian BlanketX
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Indian Blanket -or- Firewheel -or- Sundance (Gaillardia pulchella), family Asteraceae
One of the new books in our library, WILDFLOWERS OF COLORADO FIELD GUIDE (by Don Mammoser and Stan Tekeila) states that this is one of the prettiest flowers in Colorado. We can hardly disagree. Our specimen was growing all by itself and was still enough of a standout that we pulled off the side of the road to photograph it. Information from the same source says these plants attract butterflies and bees, and is heat and drought resistant. The American Indian tribes are known to have treated digestive and congestion problems with parts of the plant. Indian Blanket is an annual native to the central United States but is seen currently all the way from Mexico to southern Canada. Oklahoma has named it their state flower. The genus Gaillardia only hosts about 24 species, rather small in botanical terms. Per WIKIPEDIA the genus was named after M. Gaillard de Charentonneau, an 18th-century French magistrate who was a patron of botany.
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Plant location: Found outside Brighton Colorado, July 3, 2008. Note the highly chamouflaged insect in the inset photo.Plant -
Bloom period: all through summer.Foliage -
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