National Collection of Imperiled Plants

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Photographer:

Greg Wieland

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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Gaillardia aestivalis var. winkleri

Family:	Asteraceae
Common Names:	white blanket-flower, white fire-wheel, Winkler's gaillardia
Author:	(Walt.) Rock. var. winkleri (Cory) B.L. Turner
Growth Habit:	Perennial
CPC Number:	9405

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

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Fish & WildLife

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Photographer: Greg Wieland

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Photographer: Stephen M. Young

Gaillardia aestivalis var. winkleri is Not Sponsored

Primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants is:

Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens

Dave Berkshire contributed to this Plant Profile.

Gaillardia aestivalis var. winkleri

The white firewheel is a rare relative of roadside wildflowers called Indian blanket or Mexican blanket. This rare species flowers from May to September with 12-18 deeply-three-lobed white to maroon ray flowers or "petals" (as opposed to yellow and orange) and with a yellow or purple "eye" of disk flowers. This pubescent species bears horizontal stems called rhizomes. The stems may stand erect to 2 feet tall or sprawl up to 3 feet. The fruit is a densely pubescent achene (Nemec 1995).

This rare wildflower occurs only in Hardin, Newton & Tyler Counties, Texas, and occurs in the same threatened habitat as the rare Texas trailing phlox (Phlox nivalis ssp. texensis) and the uncommon scarlet catchfly (Silene subciliata). These beautiful wildflowers are well-adapted to the drought-conditions found in the sandhills of the East Texas Pineywoods where they grow.

Distribution & Occurrence

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State Range

Texas

Habitat

Found along the unshaded margin of xeric sandhills along Village Creek of the Pineywoods in Hardin County in East Texas. Many populations are within the Nature Conservancy's Sandylands Preserve. This species habitat overlaps with that of the federally-listed Phlox nivalis spp. texensis. The loose, white, sandy soils on which it occurs are characteristic in this oak-farkleberry sandyland system. It also occurs in open pine-oak woodlands.

The dominant trees include Longleaf Pine, Blue-jack Oak and Sand-jack Oak. The dominant understory tree/shrub is Farkleberry, Vaccinium arboreum (Nemec 1995). In addition to Phlox nivalis spp. texensis, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, the uncommon Amsonia glaberrima, Andropogon gerardii, Berlanderia sp., Chamaechrista fasciculata, Centrosema virginianum, Cnidosculus texanus, Croton capitatus, C. glandulosus, Croptilon divaricatum, Diodia teres, Euphorbia cordifolia, E. corollata, Froelichia floridana, Heterotheca latifolia, H. pilosa, Lechea mucronata, Liatris elegans, Monarda punctata, Panicum brachyanthum, Ruellia humilis, Schizachyrium scoparium, the uncommon Silene subciliata, Solidago nitida, Stylosanthes biflora, Tradescantia reverchonii, Trichostema dichtomum, and Vernonia texana occur in overlapping habitats (Orzell 1989; TNHP 1993).

Distribution

Within sandhills along Village Creek of the Pineywoods in Hardin County in East Texas within the West Gulf Coastal Plain. Many populations are within the Nature Conservancy's Sandylands Preserve (Nemec 1995).

Number Left

� Eight sites listed in Hardin County, Texas in 1995 (Nemec 1995)
� Although there are 21 records in Texas, these do not all represent distinct populations (Poole 2000).
� 10,000+ individuals have been reported, however, this may be estimates of stems and not represent distinct individuals as this is a rhizomatous species.

Protection

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Global Rank:	G5T2	1/16/2002	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	SC	1/19/1996	Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	No

State/Area Protection

State/Area	Rank	Status	Date

Conservation, Ecology & Research

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Ecological Relationships

Occurs in overlapping habitats with the federally listed Phlox nivalis spp texensis.

Threats

� Fire suppression that leads to the establishment of woody vegetation, which competes with this herb (Ulrich 1996).
� Conversion of sandhill environment to pine plantations.
� Soil disturbance due to forestry management.

Current Research Summary

� Information on pollinators, seed dispersal, and germination requirements is currently known by Dr. Tom Watson, University of Texas Herbarium, Austin.
� Plants may be propagated from cuttings and divisions and by germination (40-59%) of seed (Mercer Arb. unpublished).
� Mercer staff and volunteers maintain an expanding population of White firewheel as a permanent educational exhibit within our Endangered Species Garden. These plants on exhibit self-sow and spread via rhizomes. The Endangered Species Garden, established in 1994 with support from Star Enterprises, displays rare native plants for the public to view year-round. In Spring 2002, the River Oaks Garden Club of Houston (ROGC), TX provided a generous gift to begin the expansion and renovation of Mercer�s Endangered Species Garden.
� Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens maintains seed bank of this species. Banked wild-collected seed of this species date to 1993. Mercer also banks subsets of rare seeds collected from field surveys and from propagation work with our collaborating CPC institution, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, TX and the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation (NCGRP) in Denver, CO (formerly called the National Seed Storage Laboratories).
� Plants produced for educational display gardens or for specific restoration and reintroduction projects are produced within Mercer�s nursery greenhouses and within our Conservation Area. The Conservation Area provides secure, raised beds for mass propagation of plants/seeds. Each bed is provided with independently controlled irrigation and substrates that meet the unique requirements for each species. Populations are propagated separately to ensure genetic purity.

Current Management Summary

� Several occurrences are protected and managed on Texas Nature Conservancy Preserve property.
� Management includes controlled burning of habitats.
� The White firewheel is currently being reintroduced into its historic range, The Big Thicket National Preserve of the National Park Service (NPS) (SFA 2001; Sonne 2002). This reintroduction is funded by a National Parks Service, Department of Interior Grant prepared by Roy Zipp (formerly with Big Thicket National Preserve) and coordinated by Fulton Jean Sonne of The Big Thicket National Preserve. Dr. David Creech, staff and students of Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX propagate this species for this reintroduction. (SFA 2001)

Research Management Needs

� Continue monitoring.
� Identify additional reintroduction sites.
� Additional taxonomic research.

Monitoring Efforts

Not Available

Ex Situ Needs

� Maintenance of genetic integrity, documentation of provenance and gene banking.

References

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Books (Single Authors)

Ajilvsgi, G. 1979. Wild flowers of the Big Thicket, East Texas, and Western Louisiana. College Station: Texas A & M University Press. 360p.

Loughmiller, C.; Loughmiller, L. 1984. Texas wildflowers: A field Guide. Austin, TX. University of Texas Press.

Poole, J.M.; Carr, W.R.; Price, D.M.; Singhurst, J.R. 2007. Rare Plants of Texas. College Station, Texas. Texas A&M University Press. 640p.

Books (Sections)

Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the U.S., Canada, and Greenland. In: Kartesz, J.T.; Meacham, C.A., editors. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden. Chapel Hill, NC.

Electronic Sources

SFA. (2002). Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants. Stephen F. Austin State University, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX. http://www.sfasu.edu/AG/arboretum/pnpc/rrr/Gaillardia%20aestivalis.htm. Accessed: 2002.

Journal Articles

Cory, V.L. 1946. A white Gaillardia in Texas. Madro�o. 8, 8: 263-264.

Herz, W.; Pethtel, K.D.; Raulais, D. 1991. Isoflavones, a Sesquiterpene Lactone-Monoterpene Adduct and Other Constituents of Gaillardia Species. Phytochemistry. 30, 4: 1273-1279.

MacRoberts, B.R.; MacRoberts, M.H. 1996. Floristics of xeric sandhills in East Texas. Phytologia. 80: 1-7.

MacRoberts, M.H.; MacRoberts, B.R.; Cathey, J.C. 2002. Floristics of xeric sandylands in the post oak savanna region of Est Texas. Sida. 20: 373-86.

MacRoberts, M.H.; MacRoberts, B.R.; Sorrie, B.A.; Evans, R.E. 2002. Endemism in the West Gulf Coastal Plain: Importance of xeric habitats. Sida. 20: 767-80.

MacRoberts, M.H.; Walker, S.B.; MacRoberts, B.R. 2004. The status of Carex tenax Chapman (Cyperaceae) in the West Gulf Coastal Plain. Phytologia. 86: 23-28.

Orzell, S. 1989. Rare and Uncommon Plants of the Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary. Horizons. Texas Nature Conservancy.

Rajasekhar, D.S. 1997. Development of a Predictive Habitat Evaluation Model for Gaillardia aestivalis (Walt.) Rock. var. winkleri (Cory) Turner Using GPS, Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques. Masters Abstracts International. 35-05: 1280.

Rhymer, J.M.; Simberloff, D. 1996. Extinction by hybridization & introgression. Ann. Rev.Ecol. Syst. 27: 83-109.

Singhurst, J.R. 1996. The Status of Nine Endangered Plants of East Texas: Historical, Ecological, and Phytogeographical Notes. Masters Abstracts International. 35-01: 0150.

Turner, B.L. 1979. Gaillardia aestivalis var. winkleri (Asteraceae), A White-Flowered Tetraploid Taxon Endemic to Southeastern Texas. Southwest Naturalist. 24, 4: 621-624.

Personal Communications

Sonne, F.V. 2002. Personal communication.The Big Thicket National Preserve,507 N. PineWoodville, TX 75979.

Zipp, R. 2001. Personal communication. National Park Service. North Cascades National Park, Washington State.

Reports

Halstead, L. 2001. Conservation plan for the Big Thicket and Sandylands Conservation Area. San Antonio. Nature Conservancy of Texas.

Nemec, K. 1995. Conservation Guidance for Plant Candidate Species. Gaillardia aestivalis var. winkleri. Houston, Texas: Clear Lake Field Office. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Poole, J.M. 2000. Unpublished report. Austin, TX: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

TNHP. 1994. Site survey summaries and element of occurrence database. Austin, Texas, USA: Texas Natural Heritage Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Ulrich, M. 1996. Unpublished document. Humble, Texas: Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens.

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This profile was updated on 3/4/2010