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July 16, 2008
Mystery Flower
I'm not sure what this flower is. I found it growing wild in my neighbor's back yard. I'm thinking it's some sort of sunflower, possibly a bicolored variety called "The Joker" (Helianthus annuus) but I'm not certain of that. The petals are red near the center, and then change to yellow towards the end. The leaves of the flower are a long, elliptical, and smooth (not serrated). The head of the flower is about 4" across, and it's facing straight up (toward the sky). I'll try to get some better photos of it tomorrow.
Update: Phil sent this:
"I think the yellow flower you thought might be some kind of sunflower is actually known as a blanketflower, gaillardia aristata, or possibly a nursery grown variety that escaped from wherever. Blanketflowers are quite common and very popular in the nursery trade. There are a half dozen different types that I've seen at the local garden centers. The native gaillardia is not very common, but does grow in the foothills of the front range."
Wikipedia has this to say about Blanket Flowers:
Gaillardia (Blanket flower) is a genus of drought-tolerant annual and perennial plants from the sunflower family (Asteraceae), native to North America. It was named after M. Gaillard de Charentonneau, an 18th-century French magistrate who was a patron of botany. The common name refers to the inflorescence's resemblance to brightly patterned blankets made by native Americans.
Yeah, I think Phil's right on this. It's definitely a Blanket Flower, which means it's in the Sunflower family (Asteraceae) and in the genus Gaillardia. Now, whether it's of the species Aristata, I'm not 100% certain. I do see some photos of my flower on the web referring to it as a Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata), but most of the photos I see of aristata do not look like mine.
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Posted by Rob Kiser on July 16, 2008 at 9:21 PM
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