Bloomipedia
Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)
Photo: Sarah Abbate via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Firewheel

Gaillardia pulchella

Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) is a low shrub in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–July across the U.S.

★ Official state wildflower of Oklahoma (1986)Native in the lower 48

Firewheel is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 8 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–July.

39states where USDA records it
8Bloomipedia state lists include it
59,430U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas

🏅
Oklahoma's official state wildflower since 1986. Visit the Oklahoma page → Okla. Stat. tit. 25, § 92.1

Quick look

Gaillardia pulchella is a North American species of short-lived perennial or annual flowering plants in the sunflower family.

  • It belongs to the Asteraceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a annual, biennial, perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 39 states. USDA PLANTS
  • In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. iNaturalist
  • In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–July. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as yellow. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as indeterminate. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 2 ft. USDA PLANTS
  • iNaturalist has 37,350 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #2 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 6,552 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #21 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,796 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #61 among the 192 flowers on our North Carolina list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (3,774 records)
Bloom time in the 8 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
TexasNativeApril–June37,350
FloridaIntroducedMarch–July6,552
North CarolinaNativeMay–August2,796
OklahomaNativeMay–July1,416
South CarolinaNativeJune–August1,006
New MexicoNativefew records (40)869
LouisianaNativefew records (34)862
KansasNativefew records (10)310

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
State rare plant lists
Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 4 of our 8 states.
See each state
Texas
Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
Florida
Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Florida. FAC 5B-40.0055
North Carolina
Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in North Carolina. 02 NCAC 48F .0301
New Mexico
Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. 19.21.2.9 NMAC
Oklahoma
No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
South Carolina
No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Carolina.
Louisiana
No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Kansas
No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Kansas.
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NE (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records firewheel in 39 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Andrews, Aransas, Archer, Armstrong, Austin, Bailey, Bandera, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Borden, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Briscoe, Brooks, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Carson, Cass, Chambers, Childress, Clay, Cochran, Coke, Coleman, Collin, Collingsworth, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Concho, Cooke, Crane, Crockett, Crosby, Culberson, Dallam, Dallas, Dawson, DeWitt, Deaf Smith, Denton, Dickens, Dimmit, Donley, Duval, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, El Paso, Erath, Fayette, Fisher, Frio, Gaines, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Gray, Grayson, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hall, Hamilton, Hansford, Hardin, Harris, Hartley, Haskell, Hays, Hemphill, Hidalgo, Hill, Howard, Hudspeth, Hunt, Hutchinson, Jack, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Johnson, Karnes, Kendall, Kenedy, Kent, Kerr, Kimble, Kleberg, La Salle, Lampasas, Lee, Liberty, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, Loving, Lubbock, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Midland, Milam, Mills, Montague, Montgomery, Moore, Motley, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Nueces, Ochiltree, Oldham, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Potter, Presidio, Randall, Reagan, Real, Reeves, Roberts, Robertson, Runnels, Rusk, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Starr, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Throckmorton, Tom Green, Travis, Tyler, Uvalde, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Ward, Washington, Webb, Wharton, Wheeler, Wichita, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Winkler, Wise, Yoakum, Young, Zapata, Zavala.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Bay, Brevard, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Hernando, Indian River, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okaloosa, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, St. Johns, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton.

North Carolina counties with USDA records: Beaufort, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Dare, Harnett, Hyde, Lee, New Hanover, Pamlico, Pender, Scotland.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Firewheel a high shade tolerance, high drought tolerance and medium moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 7.0 to 8.5 and winter lows down to 32 °F.

Shade tolerance
High
Drought tolerance
High
Moisture use
Medium
Soil textures it is adapted to
coarse, medium, fine
Soil pH range
7.0 to 8.5
Minimum temperature tolerated
32 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum)
160
Annual precipitation range
7 to 18 inches
Minimum root depth
12 inches
Salinity tolerance
None
Fertility requirement
Medium
Growth rate
Rapid
Lifespan
Short
Active growth period
Spring, Summer, Fall
Fruit or seed
Black · Summer to Fall
Can be propagated by
seed
Commercial availability
Routinely Available

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for GAPU. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Introduced; Canada: Introduced; Hawaii: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Native; Pacific Basin (excluding Hawaii): Introduced.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 462 counties across 30 states; the most are in Texas (176), Kansas (58), Oklahoma (40).

Other Gaillardia on Bloomipedia (2): Great blanketflower, Lanceleaf blanketflower.

More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.

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Sources