Zinnia

Zinnia
Zinnia flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribe: Heliantheae
Subtribe: Zinniinae
Genus: Zinnia
L.
Type species
Chrysogonum peruvianum
Synonyms
  • Sanvitaliopsis Sch.Bip. ex Greenm.
  • Sanvitaliopsis Sch.Bip. ex Benth. & Hook.f.
  • Tragoceros Kunth
  • Lejica Hill ex DC.
  • Lepia Hill
  • Diplothrix DC.
  • Crassina Scepin
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Zinnia seeds resemble arrow heads

Zinnia is a genus of plants of the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are notable for their solitary long-stemmed 12 petal flowers that come in a variety of bright colors. The name honors 18th-century German scientist Johann Gottfried Zinn.

The genus is native to scrub and dry grassland in an area stretching from the Southwestern United States to South America, with a centre of diversity in Mexico.