Discussion

Zinnia

Zinnia is a genus of flowering shrubs, and sub-shrubs that are mostly native to North America in the Southwestern United States and in Mexico. Some species are native to South America. They are distantly related to daisies. The Zinnia genus has from 17 to 22 species.

The North American zinnia species below is Zinnia grandiflora, a perennial. It is also known as Rocky Mountain zinnia and plains zinnia.

Each one of the clumps of blossoms can grow from a single seed. Blooming begins in late spring in May and lasts until October. A single plant can produce from 6 to over 20 blossoms per season depending on climate and soil condition.

Each "blossom" has what appears to be 3 to 6 "petals." They aren't petals, however. Instead, they are ray florets, each of which is an independent functional flower. Each ray floret has a stigma, a female reproductive organ, and has the capability to produce a seed. The central structures are comprised of 18 to 24 disk florets, each of which has both male and female organs. Zinnia grandiflora blossoms are single layered. Here is a closer look.

Zinnia grandiflora plants are edible. They are used as a colorful, slightly bitter garnish in salads, on cakes, or in tea. Native Americans used them for both internal and external medicine. The "petals" when dried and ground into powder were used for skin and cloth dyes.

The blossoms of other zinnia species may have multiple layers and can be structured differently, but all have the same composite nature comprised of ray florets and disk florets. For comparison, here is a Zinnia elegans, a highly popular cultivated species with hundreds of varieties. The blossom of this variety, Zinnia Magellan, is fully doubled.

Besides orange, Zinnia elegans blossoms come in a variety of colors including cherry, pink, ivory, yellow, and scarlet. This is another Zinnia elegans variety called Queeny Red Lime.

This photo gives some idea of how a whole Zinnia elegans plant looks, including leaves.

There are many other types of zinnias. This chart gives an idea of the range of varieties that exist.

It is no wonder that gardeners like to use zinnias to provide a riot of color through the summer.

Artwork

Konan Tanigami (1879 – 1928) 

Tanigami is known primarily for printing albums of Western flowers. The illustration below from 1918 is titled Zingiber and Zinnia.