FNPS Plant Database

Gaillardia pulchella

blanket-flower, gaillardia, Indian blanket
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Marjorie Shropshire, Martin County Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Ginny Stibolt, Ixia Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Ginny Stibolt, Ixia Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Ginny Stibolt, Ixia Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

blanket-flower, gaillardia, Indian blanket

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Gaillardia pulchella

Family:

Asteraceae (Compositae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

.75 to 1.5 ft tall by .5 to 2.0 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

yellow,orange,red

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

winter dormant

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Cultivated flower beds, roadside wildflower plantings, wildflower garden. Typically grown as an annual though some plants may persist for several years.

Considerations:

A series of studies in the last 10 years are suggesting that Gaillardia pulchella is likely not native to Florida.   It is widely grown and  naturalized in Florida especially near the coasts, but it is probably not native east of Texas (Weakley et al. 2020).



If you plant this plant, as many of have done, it is best to treat is as a non-invasive non-native.  It is a North American native believed to have its native range in the south-central US.

Availability:

Big Box Stores, Quality Nurseries, Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Seed

Propagation:

Seeds from deadheading the plant after the flowers dry up. Seeds are available through the Florida Wildflowers Growers Cooperative.

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Somewhat moist, no flooding -to- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salt.

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam

Soil pH:

7.0 to 8.5

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B,11

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Birds

Attracts many pollinators including native bees, honeybees, butterflies, butterflies and wasps.

Birds that eat the seeds include chickadees, titmice, and warblers.

Native Habitats:

Dry sites, often near the coast.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

The Kiowa Indians believed the flowers brought luck. The Acoma and Laguna Indians rubbed the plant on mothers' breasts to wean infants, and believed an infusion of the plant improved a drummer's skills.

General Comments:

It is difficult to know the native range of this plant in Florida as it has been widely planted on roadsides across much of the state at least since the 1700s.

Citations:

Hammer, Roger. 2015.  Attracting hummingbirds and butterflies in tropical Florida.  University Presses of Florida.



Weaklley et al. J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 14(2): 199 – 239. 2020.  https://doi.org/10.17348/jbrit.v14.i2.1004


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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