Blanket Flower (3)

Firewheel
Gaillardia pulchella

Family: Sunflower (Asteraceae)
AKA: Indian Blanket, Gaillardia
Photo taken on: July 27, 2010
Location: White Rock, NM
Life Zones: Plains to montane
Habitat: Dry open areas and slopes

Grows to 2 feet with a grayish stem. Leaves are up to three inches in length, with entire or lobed edges. Flowers are 2" to 3" across. 8 to 14 flower petals are divided into three lobes at the tip, and may be all red, all yellow, or banded, reddish near center and yellow at the tips. The central disk is reddish-purple. Flowers can bloom from May to August.

Flora of North America reference.

Great Blanket Flower
Gaillardia aristata

Family: Sunflower (Asteraceae)
AKA: Common Gaillardia, Brown-eyed Susan
Photo taken on: July 2, 2025
Location: Almont, CO
Life Zones: Plains to foothills
Habitat: Dry meadows, roadsides

Grows to 3 feet tall. Leaves are up to 6" long, lobed or unlobed, mostly basal. Leaves and stems are hairy. Flowers are 3-4" wide. 12 to 18 petals are 3-lobed and yellow with dark red at the base. The disk is dark purplish red.

Flora of North America reference.

Pinnate-leaf Blanket Flower
Gaillardia pinnatifida

Family: Sunflower (Asteraceae)
AKA: Red Dome Blanket Flower, Hopi Blanket Flower
Photo taken on: October 13, 2010
Location: White Rock, NM
Life Zones: Plains to montane
Habitat: Dry meadows and slopes

Grows to about 1 foot high in dense tufts. Leaves are mostly around the base and are cut deeply into narrow teeth, unlike the other species on this page. Petals are deeply three-lobed and are usually all yellow.

Flora of North America reference.