Lanceleaf Blanketflower 2009

Lanceleaf Blanketflower (Gaillardia aestivalis)

       Found in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and into the southeastern United States the Lanceleaf Blanketflower (Gaillardia aestivalis), in the same genus (Gaillardia) as Indian Blanket (G. pulchella), blooms from mid summer into fall, later than the Indian Blanket.
       Growing to two feet tall the Lanceleaf Blanketflower produces two-inch yellow flowers (three lobed ray flowers) with reddish brown disc flowers. The leaves with smooth leaf margins, alternately spaced along stems, are up to two inches long and lance shaped.
        The Lanceleaf Blanketflower, drought tolerant, grow in open areas, along roadsides and rocky ledges in sandy and dry rocky soils.
       Note: This species is very similar to Yellow Gaillardia (Gaillardia serotinum), page 112, Doyle McCoy, 1987, Oklahoma Wildflowers.

The following species are synonyms for Gaillardia aestivalis var. aestivalis
Gaillardia chrysanthal
Gaillardia fastigiata
Gaillardia lanceolata
Gaillardia rigida
Gaillardia serotina

Photo taken at Little River State Park (Lake Thunderbird Area) near Norman, Oklahoma