Gaillardia aristata
Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Gaillardia aristata f. monochroma
- Virgilia grandiflora
- Phonetic Spelling
- gay-LAR-dee-uh ar-is-TAH-tuh
- Description
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Blanketflower is a showy, native, herbaceous perennial, wildflower found in meadows, grasslands, or prairies in the northern Great Plains and Pacific Northwest of the United States and portions of Canada. The plant grows 1 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide, with an erect stem and a solitary, daisy-like flowerhead with yellow or reddish-purple petal rays and a reddish-purple center disk. The leaves are grayish-green, lance-shaped, and are arranged along the stem and at the base of the plant. The stems and leaves have fuzzy hairs, and the fruit has stiff bristles. Blanketflower is a member of the daisy family (Asteraceae). The genus name, Gaillardia, honors a French botanist, Gaillard de Charentonneau. The specific epithet aristata is Latin, meaning "bearing bristles." This refers to the plant's stiff and hairy stems and leaves.
This taprooted perennial grows well in hot, dry sites in full sun but may need supplemental water during extended drought conditions. It adapts well to a range of soil types and is tolerant of a pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It can be propagated by seeds or division. The flowers attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, and the seed heads attract birds.
Consider the blanketflower for a border planting, cottage garden, or rock garden. This wildflower is available as a container plant at nurseries specializing in native plants, and a hybrid of G. aristata and G. pulchella may also be purchased commercially.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect problems. Susceptible to powdery mildew, leaf spot, and aster yellows. Overwatering or poor drainage may cause root rot. Protective gloves are recommended to prevent skin irritation from the fuzzy hairs. Beware that the blanketflower easily re-seeds and can become weedy.
- See this plant in the following landscape :
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Bijou'
A dwarf selection growing 10-12" tall
- 'Bijou'
- 'Bijou'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Bijou'
A dwarf selection growing 10-12" tall
- 'Bijou'
- 'Bijou'
- Tags:
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-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Gaillardia
- Species:
- aristata
- Family:
- Asteraceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Used by the indigenous people of Canada for the treatment of tuberculosis, cancer, and pain relief. Native Americans used the seeds for food.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Subarctic America to the Northern United States
- Distribution:
- Native: Canada--Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon, the United States-- CO, CT, ID, MA, MN, MT, NH, ND, OR, SD, UT, WA, and WY. Introduced: Assam, Azores, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil South, Central European Russia, Czechoslovakia, East European Russia, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Krym, Mozambique, Namibia, New Caledonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South European Russia, Spain, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and the United States--NY and WI.
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Attracts birds, butterflies, and bees.
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Attracts Pollinators
- Colorful
- Easy to Grow
- Wildlife Cover/Habitat
- Wildlife Food Source
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Native Plant
- Wildflower
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Mounding
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Dry
- Very Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gray/Silver
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Achene
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The fruit is a grayish-brown, hairy, conical-shaped achene, measuring 0.16 inches long, and at the top of the fruit are 8 stiff bristles or aristate scales. Fruits ripen in late summer.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Red/Burgundy
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Head
- Solitary
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Good Cut
- Long Bloom Season
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Radial
- Wheel
- Flower Petals:
- 7 - 20 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 3-6 inches
- Flower Description:
- The solitary flowerheads are borne at the end of the stem. They are daisy-like, with petals of yellow or yellow with red and purple, with 3 lobes at the tip, and center disk florets of reddish-purple. The flowerhead measures 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter and has 6 to 18 rays. The bracts are narrow, pointed, and hairy. Blooms from May through September.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Rough
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Insignificant
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Oblanceolate
- Leaf Margin:
- Dentate
- Entire
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves are grayish-green, alternate, lance-shaped to oblanceolate, rough, and measure 2 to 6 inches long and 1 inch wide. They are arranged along the stem and at the base of the plant. The margins of the leaf may be entire, lobed, or toothed. They may be sparsely or densely hairy.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- The erect, wiry stems grow up to 1 to 3 feet tall and are densely hairy.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Container
- Meadow
- Naturalized Area
- Patio
- Rock Wall
- Slope/Bank
- Small Space
- Walkways
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Cottage Garden
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Rock Garden
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Border
- Mass Planting
- Small groups
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Moths
- Pollinators
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Heat
- Poor Soil
- Problems:
- Contact Dermatitis
- Weedy
