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Indian blanket

Gaillardia pulchella

Summary 5

Gaillardia pulchella (firewheel, Indian blanket, Indian blanketflower, or sundance), is a North American species of short-lived perennial or annual flowering plants in the sunflower family. It is native to northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Sonora, Tamaulipas) and the southern and central United States from Arizona east to Florida and the Carolinas and north as far as Nebraska. It is also naturalized in scattered locations in other parts of

Cultivars 6

Gaillardia pulchella (with the perennial Gaillardia aristata) is the parent of Gaillardia x grandiflora, a hybrid, from which several cultivars have been created. One of these is 'Sundance Bicolor', a perennial double-form with the flower heads having florets of alternating red and yellow. Because of its bright colors, it is well adapted in the sun. Others are 'Goblin' and 'Tangerine'.

Description 6

The branching stem of Gaillardia pulchella is hairy and upright, growing to 60 cm (2 ft) tall. The leaves are alternate, mostly basal, 4–8 cm long, with edges smooth to coarsely toothed or lobed. It has a hairy stem, simple or branched near the base, where the leaves are essentially located towards the bottom of the plant.

The pinwheel, daisy-like inflorescences are 4–6 cm in diameter, vividly colored with red, orange and yellow and is surrounded by 10 to 20 fleurons ligulate three lobes. The central disc florets of the flower head tend to be more red-violet, with the outer ray florets being yellow. In one variety, almost the entire flower is red, with only the barest tips of the petals touched with yellow. It blooms practically year-round in some areas, but more typically in summer to early fall.

The fruit is an achene, almost pyramidal, hairy, and prolonged by a pappus 5 to 8 mm in length.

Distribution 6

It is native to northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Sonora, Tamaulipas) and the southern and central United States from Arizona east to Florida and the Carolinas and north as far as Nebraska. It is also naturalized in scattered locations in other parts of the United States as well as in Québec, Ontario, China, South Africa, and parts of South and Central America. The plant generally lives in the sandy plains and deserts of the south of the North American continent. It is common along the roads and prefers sandy soils. It can also grow on vacant lots in urban areas, but generally below 1000 meters above sea level.

It is the state wildflower of Oklahoma. The flower has also been introduced to the Penghu Islands in Taiwan, where it is the County Flower of Penghu County. It is called "天人菊" ("Tianren Daisy") in Chinese.

Ecology 6

Gaillardia pulchella is a larval host to the bordered patch butterfly (Chlosyne lacinia) and the painted schinia moth (Schinia volupia), which feed upon its foliage.

Summary 6

Gaillardia pulchella (firewheel, Indian blanket, Indian blanketflower, or sundance), is a North American species of short-lived perennial or annual flowering plants in the sunflower family.

Ecology 6

Gaillardia pulchella is a larval host to the bordered patch butterfly (Chlosyne lacinia) and the painted schinia moth (Schinia volupia), which feed upon its foliage.

Botanical Information 7

These vibrant colored flowers that look like pinwheels on a light green stalk are also known as an Indian blanket. This is the most commonly used name for this plant, the name has a hidden legend behind it about an Indian blanket maker. Then in Spanish they call this flower “Girasol Rojo” which means red sunflower. Lastly, they call this flower a firewheel, this is because of it’s vivid red, orange and yellow colors. The shape is like a wheel but on the inside the colors bleed into each other. The central disc is red then the outer ray florets are yellow. The transition shade between those parts of the flower is orange. Therefore this can create the image of fire. These plants can grow up to 1-2 ft tall. It has a wooden like base with branched stems that are hairy. There are sometimes leafs attached that are usually 4-8 centimeters long. The flower heads are 1-2 inches with red/orange rays that are yellow at the tip. Each yellow tip has a count of three teeth. As for the center of the flower it is a brownish red color with a little bit of yellow in the middle. Also, the flower can have the form of being double-flowered which means they have flowers growing within flowers.
The Gaillardia Pulchella is apart of the Asteraceae family which is one of the most diverse groups of plants. The cycle of life can vary when it comes to this flower. Their duration can be biennial, annual or perennial. Annual means they live through one whole growing season in about a year. While Biennials take two years to complete their growing cycle. Then perennials are flowers that regrow every season so they live beyond two years. This takes place in habitats that are parched and open. Meaning warm areas that have sand, loam or calcareous soils. Calcareous means the soil is composed of calcium carbonate which creates a chalky substance. These habitats are mostly founded (native) in the southern plains and Gulf Coast of the U.S. To people these flowers contribute natural beauty to the world. Meanwhile, the Indian blanket flower is very beneficial to bees and even caterpillars as a food source. Since the duration of the plants causes them to bloom frequently and early within the season it is a good season long source of pollen and nectar. It is available to different kinds of bees because there are plenty who are attracted to the bright colors. The flower attracts butterflies because of the vivid colors as well. The only difference is the butterfly’s use their patterns and colors to try to mimic the pedals of the Indian blanket flower.
The Indian blanket flower has a legend believed by the natives. The name came from the story of an old man who weaved beautiful blankets. People all around the world would travel miles just to trade for one of those blankets. However, the old man was aware that his time on earth was going to end soon. He created a burial blanket for himself that his family would wrap him in when he dies. The blanket consisted of the colors he was famous for such as yellows, reds, and browns. But the blanket was not only to be wrapped in it was also a gift to the Great Spirit. When the old man had passed away the great spirit loved the creation and wanted it to be shown beyond the happy hunting grounds. This was a way for the Great Spirit to give back to those the old man left behind. When spring came wildflowers of the colors and design similar to the blanket the old man had made bloomed on his grave and began to spread forever.

Another legend of the Indian Blanket flower is a story believed by the Aztecs. There was once good flowers that were praised and loved by the Aztecs. But when the Spanish was on a conquest for colonizing America they attacked the Aztec empire. A war had broke out and the civilization crumbled. The flowers were then stained with blood from the people who perished. Tying back to how the flowers attract butterflies is connected to the tale. They say of butterflies dance around the flower it represents the spirit of the Aztecs and their never ending love for the flower.
The Indian blanket flower is also resourceful to humans today as remedies. For inflammation of your stomach or intestines you can make a tea from the roots of flower. If you have a skin disorder what you would do is ground the root of the plant into powder or chew it. After you would apply it to the skin. The tea can also heal sore eyes or sore nipples for mothers who have been breast feeding their child. A native people tribe named Kiowa and many others say this plant is a form of “good luck”.

Ecological Information 7

Ethnobotanical Information 7

Fact 8

Gaillardia pulchella has been used to cultivate at least 23 hybrid species.

Source: DanielsonH.H.2005Production and performance of Gaillardia cultivars and ecotypesDept. of Environ. Hort., Univ. of FloridaGainesville, FLMS thesis.

References 9

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=GAPU
http://www.seedsource.com/catalog/detail.asp?product_id=1005
http://www.backyardnature.net/n/h/iblanket.htm
http://weekendcowgirl.com/2010/05/indian-blanket-flower/
https://xerces.org/2017/05/02/plants-for-pollinators-blanketflower/
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wildseed/growing/annual.html
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaillardia_pulchella (Photo 1)

Summary 10

Pollen: no information
Nectar: yes 75 Lbs of honey/hive possible

They are common in the southwest but are chiefy valuable in TX where they yield a yellow amber honey with a fair flavor generally considered a low grade honey. Surpluses up to 75 lbs are occasionally reported. (Lovell, H. B. (1966). Honey Plants Manual)

Summary 11

The blanket flower forms, 12- to 24-inch-tall, rounded clumps of soft, hairy, divided leaves and single, semi-double, or double flowers held on long stems above the foliage. All leaves are simple. The plant usually begins as a rosette with very hairy, multi-lobed leaves, much like dandelions. The rosette expands and produces long stems that will eventually be topped by a single composite flower. The leaves at the bottom of the stems are shaped lanceolate to oblanceolate with lobed or toothed edges and tapering to a petiole. The leaves on the upper stem closest to the flower are spatulate in shape, with toothed or entire margins, and sessile, having no petiole, and often clasping. The leaves alternate on the stem and are hairy. The leaves become increasingly smaller from the rosette to the upper stem. The lower leaves are typically 5 x 0.75 inch. The upper leaves commonly measure 1.5 x 0.33 inches. The flower is a showy composite inflorescence consisting of many ray and disk florets. Individual flowers are 1 to 3.0 inches wide on long slender pedicels from 18 to 28 inches long. The ray florets are the outer longer florets and develop simultaneously with the inner disk florets. A ray floret consists of three petals that are fused together giving a fringed appearance to the flower. Ray petals are most often reddish-purple or orange-red with yellow tips, but can also be solid orange, yellow, pink and rarely white. The center disk florets are reddish-purple, orange-red or yellow. Difference in colors and variations in petal shapes are a result of natural hybridization. Each floret produces a single fruit (an achene) with a single seed, and there are more disk florets than ray florets in each flower. Flowering peaks from April into June, depending on the time of germination. At its optimum, a typical plant will have as many as 35 flowers in simultaneous bloom and is approximately 25 inches tall and about as wide. Blanket flower is native in all of Florida, much of the southeast and south-central states. It is a common dune and coastal scrub plant. It can be found growing at roadsides, in drainage ditch slopes and in open fields.

Fontes e Créditos

  1. (c) TexasEagle, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/texaseagle/7312057456/
  2. (c) Mary Keim, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/38514062@N03/6919963020/
  3. (c) 小工友, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/simonpu/14361825452/
  4. (c) dbarronoss, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/dbarronoss/5787058368/
  5. Adaptado por Tricia LeBlanc de uma obra de (c) Wikipedia, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaillardia_pulchella
  6. (c) Wikipedia, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaillardia_pulchella
  7. (c) smiller33, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/908087
  8. (c) Aymee Laurain, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/1041225
  9. (c) caseynm, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/908087
  10. (c) Megan W., alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/734402
  11. (c) t_kok, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/655741

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