I 82 GAILLARDIA AMBLYODON. BLUNT-TOOTH BLANKETFLOWER. 



hence we find it under the names of G. bicolor, G. amara, and 

 G. altcrnifolia, the last of these designations being the one 

 commonly used by English authors at the beginning of the 

 present century. For many years the G. pulchclla was the only 

 species known, but new ones were discovered as the knowledge 

 of our western country increased, and several species have been 

 described only quite recently. Our present species was named 

 Gaillardia amblyodon, by Gay, also a French botanist ; and his 

 description, first published in the " Annales des Sciences Natu- 

 relles," and adopted by Torrey and Gray, we have placed at the 

 head of this article. A further account of the plant, illustrated 

 by a plate, is given by Dr. Gray in his " Chloris Boreali-Ameri- 

 cana." The specimens which served Dr. Gray in the preparation 

 of this account were raised in the Cambridge Botanic Garden in 

 1845, from seeds collected in Texas by Lindheimer, and this fact 

 shows that it had then only recently been made known. Wc are 

 indebted to the same institution for the plant from which our 

 drawing was made. 



Our species does not seem to be very abundant, as it is 

 recorded in but few collections, although Dr. Gray says that it 

 is a much ranker grower than G. picta. The same authority 

 also informs us that the fruits of the disk-flowers have awns, 

 while those of the ray are awnless, and that " the specific name 

 was chosen by M. Gay to express this peculiarity." It seems to 

 us, however, that this name rests upon a different basis. The 

 description notes that the petals of the disk-flowers have " short, 

 trianeular, and rather obtuse teeth"; and it is this character 

 which is expressed by the adjective amblyodon, as this is com- 

 posed of two Greek words signifying respectively " blunt " and 

 " tooth." 



Mr. Vick tells us that in the settled parts of Texas, where 

 some of the species are found wild, the Gaillardia is known as 

 the " Blanketflower." We have adopted this name (although it 

 does not seem to be particularly suggestive or appropriate), 

 because the flower has no other common name, and because it 



