Great Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata)

Gaillardia bud

PLANT INFORMATION

Common Name
Great Blanketflower
Popular Name(s)
Gaillardia
Scientific Name
Giallardia aristata
Family Name

Type
Wildflower
Longevity
Perennial
Origin
Native


PLANT PHOTOS



PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Whole Plant (Growth Form) Characteristics
25-60 cm height, deep tap root
Leaf Characteristics
7.5-15 cm length, coarse toothed margins, alternately arranged on stem, hairy
Stem Characteristics 
Hairy, erect, branching from the base
Flower and Flowering Head Characteristics
Composite, 6-18 three-lobed yellow ray flowers, ray flowers may be purplish red at the base, red-brown central disk flowers, flower head diameter is 3.5-7.5 cm, narrow lanceolate and hairy bracts
Fruit Characteristics
Achene, single seeded fruit, bristled, hairy, brown-grey, 0.3-0.4 cm long
Seed Characteristics
Conical, disk flower receptacle remains attached to seeds
Other Notable Visual Characteristics

Look-Alikes
Firewheel Blanketflower (Gaillardia pulchella): Firewheel Blanketflower has more red than yellow on the ray flowers while great blanketflower is mostly yellow with red at the base of ray flowers


HABITAT AND PHENOLOGY

Habitat
Well-drained sites, prairie meadows, grassy openings on mountains, roadsides
Plant Emergence Time
June
Flowering Period 
July-September (or first frost)
Fruit / Seed Period
End of July-October


FUNCTIONAL VALUE

Food Value
Consumed by insects and game birds
Toxins
Skin rash may occur from contact with the sap or juice of foliage
Cultural Value
Used by First Nations to treat stomach pains, sores on horses
Pollinator Value
Butterflies, moths, beetles
Other Modern Uses 
Being researched as a cancer treatment, contains gaillardin