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Common Name: Blanket Flower

General Information

Gaillardia pinnatifida is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.40 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southern N. America - Colorado to Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas to Mexico.

Habitat

Clays or sandy soils, often disturbed places, in grasslands, desert scrub-lands, or pinyon woodlands at elevations of 900 - 2000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.40 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a position in full sun, succeeding in any moderately fertile well-drained soil[]. Performs well in poor soils and copes well with hot dry conditions[].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[]. Some winter protection, especially in areas experiencing heavy snows, is recommended. Covering the plants with brush wood should be enough[].
Plants are so prolific and long blooming that they often exhaust themselves and are then short-lived[]. They can flower in their first year from seed[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].

Edible Uses

The dried seeds can be ground into a powder then kneaded into seed butter and spread on bread[].

Medicinal

The plant is used as a diuretic, taken to give relief from painful urination[, ].
An infusion of the leaves is taken internally, and a poultice applied externally, in the treatment of gout[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division, with care[].
Root cuttings in the winter[].