Gaillardia suavis (A. Gray & Engelm.) Britt. & Rusby, fragrant gaillardia, perfume–ball, rayless gaillardia. Perennial herb, taprooted, rosetted, 1–stemmed at base, scapose, in range 17—55 cm tall; shoots with only basal leaves in a conspicuous rosette or with to 1 diminutive cauline leaf close to rosette, in range foliage sparsely pubescent with beadlike nonglandular hairs (sparsely “villous”) and lacking glandular hairs.
Stems to 2 mm diameter, concealed by bases of basal leaves.
Leaves helically alternate, simple with shallow teeth or lobes mostly above midblade, petiolate, without stipules; petiole cupped upward, to 15 mm long, indistinct from blade; blade horizontal, oblanceolate to spatulate (basal leaves) and linear to oblanceolate (cauline leaves), 60—105 × < 10—23(—39) mm (basal leaves) with to 9 lobes and 18—70 mm long (cauline leaves), long–tapered at base, sinus of lobes < 1/2 to midrib, with teeth mostly broadly acute or entire on margins, sparsely short–ciliate on margins with weak hairs, obtuse to rounded at tip, pinnately veined and 3–veined above base with principal veins raised on lower surface, upper surface glabrous, lower surface with sparse, beadlike hairs aging with collapsed cells.
Inflorescence head, solitary, terminal on long peduncle (scape), head radiate (discoid if ray corollas absent), 25—40 mm across, with (0)3—8 neuter ray flowers and 60+ bisexual disc flowers, disc 13—20 mm across, bracteate; peduncle low–ridged (subcylindric), 150—500 × 3 mm, green, tough, mostly with weak, appressed, upward–pointing hairs, lacking bracts (calyculus) at top; involucre somewhat platelike but outer phyllaries often recurved, to 15 mm across, phyllaries ± 22 in 4—5 series, outer series of 5 phyllaries broadly elliptic to ovate, 4—5 × 2.5—3 mm, fleshy to midpoint and ± soft–hairy, green with narrow, colorless margins, in next series tonguelike, 6—6.5 × 2.5—3 mm, green but darker at tip, in intermediate 2 series acute–lanceolate, to 9.5 × 2.5 mm, with red tips, the innermost phyllaries acuminate, ca. 9 × 1.5 mm, green with membranous margins and ± red at tip, glabrous or sparsely short–ciliate; receptacle convex to domed, lacking bractlets (paleae) subtending flowers, with hairs (setae) between ovaries, in range to 1 mm long, colorless aging white.
Ray flower bilateral, 4.5—11 mm, to 15 mm long; calyx (pappus) of 8—10 scales in 2 series, having a scarious blade to midpoint and a bristlelike tip (aristate), scarious portion obovate to elliptic, ca. 2.5 × 1.5 mm, colorless aging with midvein raised on outer (lower) surface, minutely scabrous on outer surface, minutely jagged on margins, tip awnlike with short, upward–ascending projections; corolla deeply 3–lobed; tube flared at top, 2—2.5 × 0.7 mm, green; limb fan–shaped, to 6 mm long, light orange with 3 crimson principal veins converging below tips (rose tissue near tube), lobes oblong to elliptic–lanceolate, 1.5—2.7 mm wide, obtuse at tip; stamens absent; pistil 1; ovary inferior, wedge–shaped, 1 × 0.7 mm, greenish, pubescent, having bristlelike hairs (setae) to 2 mm long at base, covered with straight hairs, 1–chambered with 1 white ovule; nectary disc surrounding base of style, 0.2 mm long, green; style exserted, 5—8.8 mm long, 2–branched, green at bulbous base to branches, the branches crimson above.
Disc flower bisexual, ± radial, 2 mm across (4 mm across = spreading style branches); calyx (pappus) of 8—10 scales in 2 series 6.5—8.5 mm long, having a scarious blade to midpoint and a bristlelike tip (aristate), scarious portion obovate to somewhat rhombate, in range mostly 3—4 × 1.3—1.8 mm, colorless aging with yellowish midvein raised on outer (lower) surface, minutely scabrous on outer surface, minutely jagged on margins, tip awnlike with short, upward–ascending projections; corolla (4—)5–lobed, 5.5—6 mm long; tube cylindric, 1.2—1.5 × 0.7 mm, colorless; throat bell–shaped to urn–shaped, 3.3—4 mm long, colorless with 8 or 10 yellow–orange veins, ± ribbed, veins to sinuses most prominent, with minute glands; lobes erect, triangular to deltate, ca. 1.5 × 0.7—1.2 mm, yellow–orange at base above purple–red, with ± appressed hairs; stamens (4—)5, attached to top of corolla tube; filaments 2 mm long, yellow–orange; anthers fused into cylinder surrounding style, exserted, basifixed, dithecal, 3.5—4 mm long including appendages ca. 1.2 mm long, yellow–orange at base to red–purple above, the appendages acuminate and cupped toward outside, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen light orange; pistil 1; ovary inferior, wedge–shaped ± 4—5–sided, 1 × 0.7 mm, greenish, pubescent, with long hairs along edges becoming collapsed hairs, having bristlelike hairs to 0.5 mm long at base, 1–chambered with 1 ovule; nectary disc surrounding base of style; style exserted, 2–branches, the branches widely spreading, ca. 2.5 mm long, crimson, with subterminal ring of short stiff hairs ca. 0.25 mm long.
Fruits cypselae (achenes), often few per head, with persistent aristate pappus scales, monomorphic, inversely pyramidal, ca. 3 × 3 mm, brown, densely covered with stiff, ascending, straight white hairs 0.5—2 mm long, many hairs minutely 2–forked at tips, attached at base and along 5 raised veins leading to outer series of pappus scales; pappus scales 8—10 in 2 series, with ascending, white, awned bristles.
A. C. Gibson