Annuals, 20-45+ cm. Leaves caul­ine; petiolar bases 0-3+ cm; blades oblanceolate, oblong, or spatulate, 2-6 cm × 6-24 mm, (bases of distal ± clasping) margins usually entire or obscurely toothed, rarely lobed, faces scabrellous and/or ± villous (hairs scattered, jointed). Peduncles 5-10(-15) cm. Phyllaries 22-32, lanceolate to lance-attenuate, 7-15 mm, ciliate with jointed hairs. Receptacular setae 2.5-3 mm. Ray florets 8-12; corollas mostly bright red to dark purple, rarely yellow, 15-25 mm. Disc florets 30-60+; corollas yellow with purple tips, tubes 1.5 mm, throats narrowly cylindric, 4.5 mm, lobes ovate-deltate, 0.5-1 mm, jointed hairs more than 0.3 mm. Cypselae dimorphic: the peripheral usually ± obcompressed-clavate, 2-4+ mm, glabrous or nearly so, with pappi of (6-)8+, muticous scales 0.1-0.3+ mm; the inner obpyramidal, 2-3 mm, hairs 1-3 mm, inserted at bases and on angles, with pappi of 8-12 lanceolate, aristate scales 5-6 mm (scarious bases 2.5-3 × 0.5-1 mm). 2n = 34.

Flowering Apr-Jul. Open places on sandy soils; 10-100+ m; Tex.

Gaillardia amblyodon may prove to be not distinct from G. pulchella at species rank.