Alternate name: Firewheel, Indian Blanket

Family: Asteraceae, Aster view all from this family

Description Branched stems, mostly leafy near the base, have showy flower heads with rays red at base, tipped with yellow, each with 3 teeth at broad end.
Flowers: head 1 1/2-2 1/2" (3.8-6.3 cm) wide; disk reddish-maroon, dome-like, with bristly scales among the flowers; rays 1/2-3/4" (1.3-2 cm) long.
Leaves: to 3" (7.5 cm) long, oblong, toothed or plain on edges.
Fruit: seed-like, with tapered, white, translucent scales at tip.
Height: 1-2' (30-60 cm).

Flower May-July.

Habitat Sandy plains and desert, common along roadsides.

Range Arizona to Texas; north to se. Colorado and Nebraska; south into Mexico.

Discussion Frequent along roadsides in the Southwest, these wildflowers stand like hundreds of showy Fourth of July pinwheels at the top of slender stalks. Varieties are popular in cultivation, for they tolerate heat and dryness. Among several species in the Southwest, some flowers are entirely yellow.