Indian Blanket

Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella)

        Found widespread across the United States, except the northwestern states, this easily recognized plant is known by various common names, the most common being Indian Blanket or Firewheel.
       The state wildflower of Oklahoma, the Indian Blanket, produce beautiful two inch red, yellow tipped flowers in the late spring and summer. The petals (ray flowers) are yellow tipped turning to red toward the central disk (disk flowers).
      They may form, where seeded, large patches of red and yellow along roadsides and fields. The combinations of these colors form a pattern reminiscent of the weave of some Native American blankets.
      These are annual plants, dying and re-seeding themselves in one growing season. The Indian Blanket is easily grown, and once started will return year after year.