Al Schneider's Rocky Mountains Plant Descriptions

Blanket Flower
Gaillardia aristata
Aster family (Asteraceae)

The presence of 3- helps distinguish this varied-colored wildflower. Many cultivars have been developed from Blanketflower and these are very popular in home gardens. The plant has been used to treat a wide number of ailments, including hair loss, nasal congestion, sunstroke and even saddle sores. Gaillard de Charentonneau was a French amateur botanist. The specific name, aristata means bristled and refers to the stiff on the . Meriwether Lewis collected the first specimens of this plant for science on what is now the Lewis and Clark Pass in Montana in 1806. The plant was named by Frederick Pursh in his "Flora Americae Septentrionalis" in 1814.


©2004 Matt Lavin

Description

, 8-24" tall, with yellow which are 2-3" across with 3 on the tip of each ray petal; disk flowers form a red-brown cluster in the center. Red color often extends up into . One or several stems arise from a slender . Leaves are on the stem, and can be , divided, or variously . The leaves, stems and are covered with coarse, long hairs. are hairy with stiff white .

Field Marks

Yellow, three- surrounding red disk.

© Al Schneider

ray flowers -- The outer petals of a sunflower or daisy are ray flowers.

An entire leaf has smooth edges. Not toothed or lobed.

lobe -- Being divided by clefts.

lobe -- A rounded parts of a leaf (or other organ).

A herb is a plant whose stems die back to the ground in the winter.

ray flowers -- The outer petals of a sunflower or daisy are ray flowers.

taproot -- The primary decending root of a plant.

An awn is a hair- or bristle-like thing on a larger structure. In grasses awns typically extend from the lemmas of the florets.

Like the teeth on a saw, leaves and other surfaces can have toothed edges.

fruit -- any seed-bearing structure in flowering plants. It is formed from the ovary after flowering.

bristle -- A straight, stiff hair.

The receptacle is the thickened part of a stem (pedicel) from which the flower organs grow.

alternate -- leaves alternate along the main stem and are attached singly.

achene -- a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. For example, a rose hip holds a few achenes.

A perennial plant lives and blooms for many years.