Prairie Wildflowers and Grasses of North Dakota

Summer Wildflowers

Chris Grondahl photo: Blanket flower (inset shows top view of flower)
Chris Grondahl Blanket flower
(Gailardia aristata)
Distribution: statewide
Habitat: upland prairie
Flowers: rays are yellow or with red toward the middle, central disk flowers are purplish/brown, single flower per stem
Height: 8-24 inches
Blooms: June to early July
Family name: Aster (Asteraceae)
Other names: Gailardia
Plant uses and other interesting facts: Used extensively in prairie restoration. Blackfoot Indians drank tea made from the root of this plant for gastroenteritis and applied the powered root to treat skin irritation. They also boiled the whole plant for eye and nose drops.

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