Zinnia elegans

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Zinnia elegans
Zinnienblute Zinnia elegans stack15 20190722-RM-7222254.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Zinnia
Species:
Z. elegans
Binomial name
Zinnia elegans
Jacq. 1793, conserved name not Jacq. 1797 nor Sessé & Moc. 1890
Synonyms [1] [2]
  • Zinnia violaceaCav.
  • Crassina elegans(Jacq.) Kuntze
  • Zinnia australisF.M.Bailey

Zinnia elegans (syn. Zinnia violacea) known as youth-and-age, [3] common zinnia or elegant zinnia, is an annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Mexico but grown as an ornamental in many places and naturalised in several places, including scattered locations in South and Central America, the West Indies, the United States, Australia, and Italy. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Contents

Description

The uncultivated plant grows to about 15 cm (5.27 in) in height. It has solitary flower heads about 5 cm (2 in) across. The purple ray florets surround black and yellow discs. The lanceolate leaves are opposite the flower heads. Flowering occurs during the summer months.

History

The species was first collected in 1789 at Tixtla, Guerrero, by Sessé and Mociño. It was formally described as Zinnia violacea by Cavanilles in 1791. Jacquin described it again in 1792 as Zinnia elegans, which was the name that Sessé and Moçiño had used in their manuscript of Plantae Novae Hispaniae, which was not published until 1890. [10] The genus was named by Carl von Linné after the German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn, who described the species now known as Zinnia peruviana in 1757 as Rudbeckia foliis oppositis hirsutis ovato-acutis, calyce imbricatus, radii petalis pistillatis. Linné realised that it was not a Rudbeckia .

Cultivation

The garden zinnia was bred via hybridisation from the wild form. Zinnias are popular garden plants with hundreds of cultivars in many flower colours, sizes and forms. There are giant forms with flower heads up to 15 cm (6 in) in diameter.

Flower colours range from white and cream to pinks, reds, and purples, to green, yellow, apricot, orange, salmon, and bronze. Some are striped, speckled or bicoloured. There are "pom-pom" forms that resemble dahlias. Sizes range from dwarf varieties of less than 15 cm (6 in) in height to 90 cm (3 ft) tall. The powdery mildew common to zinnias in humid climates is less common in recently developed varieties, which are resistant.

The following have won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:

Other cultivars include 'Magellan', 'Envy Double', 'Fireworks', 'Blue Point Purple', 'Profusion Cherry', 'Profusion Orange', 'Star Gold', 'Star Orange', and several white-flowered types such as 'Crystal White', 'Purity', and 'Profusion White'. Mixed-colour seed selections are available.

Growth

Zinnias grow easily and prefer well-drained, loamy soil and full sun. They grow best in dry, warm, frost-free regions, and many kinds are drought-tolerant. As they do not tolerate freezing temperatures, in temperate zones they must be sown after all danger of frost has passed. Alternatively they may be sown under cover, and carefully transplanted into their final positions when the soil warms up.

Related Research Articles

<i>Zinnia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Zinnia is a genus of plants of the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae. They are 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. Members of the genus are notable for their solitary long-stemmed flowers that come in a variety of bright colors. The genus name honors German master botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn (1727–59).

<i>Alstroemeria</i> Genus of flowering plants native to South America

Alstroemeria, commonly called the Peruvian lily or lily of the Incas, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Alstroemeriaceae. They are all native to South America, although some have become naturalized in the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Madeira and the Canary Islands. Almost all of the species are restricted to one of two distinct centers of diversity; one in central Chile, the other in eastern Brazil. Species of Alstroemeria from Chile are winter-growing plants, while those of Brazil are summer growing. All are long-lived perennials except A. graminea, a diminutive annual from the Atacama Desert of Chile.

<i>Cota tinctoria</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Rudbeckia hirta</i> Species of flowering plant

Rudbeckia hirta, commonly called black-eyed Susan, is a North American flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Eastern and Central North America and naturalized in the Western part of the continent as well as in China. It has now been found in all 10 Canadian Provinces and all 48 of the states in the contiguous United States.

<i>Dasiphora fruticosa</i> Species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae

Dasiphora fruticosa is a species of hardy deciduous flowering shrub in the family Rosaceae, native to the cool temperate and subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere, often growing at high altitudes in mountains. Dasiphora fruticosa is still widely referenced in the horticultural literature under its synonym Potentilla fruticosa. Common names include shrubby cinquefoil, golden hardhack, bush cinquefoil, shrubby five-finger, widdy, and kuril tea.

<i>Impatiens walleriana</i> Species of flowering plant

Impatiens walleriana, also known as busy Lizzie, balsam, sultana, or simply impatiens, is a species of the genus Impatiens, native to eastern Africa from Kenya to Mozambique. The Latin specific epithet walleriana honours a British missionary, Horace Waller (1833–1896).

<i>Wisteria floribunda</i> Species of legume

Wisteria floribunda, common name Japanese wisteria, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to Japan. Growing to 9 m (30 ft), it is a woody, deciduous twining climber. It was first brought from Japan to the United States in the 1830s. Since then, it has become one of the most highly romanticized flowering garden plants. It is also a common subject for bonsai, along with Wisteria sinensis.

<i>Zinnia angustifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Zinnia angustifolia, the narrowleaf zinnia, is a herbaceous flowering plant species of zinnia native to northern and western Mexico and naturalized in parts of the Southwestern United States. Hybrids between Z. angustifolia and other species of Zinnia are popular garden plants.

<i>Salvia splendens</i> Species of flowering plant

Salvia splendens, the scarlet sage, is a tender herbaceous perennial plant native to Brazil, growing at 2,000 to 3,000 m elevation where it is warm year-round and with high humidity. The wild form, rarely seen in cultivation, reaches 1.3 m (4.3 ft) tall. Smaller cultivars are very popular as bedding plants, seen in shopping malls and public gardens all over the world.

<i>Rudbeckia laciniata</i> Species of flowering plant

Rudbeckia laciniata, the cutleaf coneflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in both Canada and the United States. Its natural habitat is wet sites in flood plains, along stream banks, and in moist forests. Common names other than cutleaf coneflower include cutleaf, goldenglow, green-headed coneflower, tall coneflower, sochan and thimbleweed.

<i>Dracopis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Dracopis is a monotypic genus with Dracopis amplexicaulis the sole species. It is native to North America.

<i>Papaver nudicaule</i> Species of flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae

Papaver nudicaule, the Iceland poppy, is a boreal flowering plant. Equivalence with Papaver croceum has been contested. Native to subpolar regions of Asia and North America, and the mountains of Central Asia as well as temperate China, Iceland poppies are hardy but short-lived perennials, often grown as biennials, that yield large, papery, bowl-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers supported by hairy, one foot, curved stems among feathery blue-green foliage 1-6 inches long. They were first described by botanists in 1759. The wild species blooms in white or yellow, and is hardy from USDA Zones 3a-10b.

<i>Rudbeckia fulgida</i> Species of flowering plant

Rudbeckia fulgida, the orange coneflower or perennial coneflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to eastern North America.

<i>Echinacea purpurea</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Echinacea purpurea, the eastern purple coneflower, purple coneflower, hedgehog coneflower, or echinacea, is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to parts of eastern North America and present to some extent in the wild in much of the eastern, southeastern and midwestern United States as well as in the Canadian Province of Ontario. It is most common in the Ozarks and in the Mississippi/Ohio Valley. Its habitats include dry open woods, prairies and barrens.

<i>Tropaeolum majus</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae

Tropaeolum majus, the garden nasturtium, nasturtium, Indian cress or monks cress, is a species of flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae, originating in the Andes from Bolivia north to Colombia. An easily-grown annual or short-lived perennial with disc-shaped leaves and brilliant orange or red flowers, it is of cultivated, probably hybrid origin. It is not closely related to the genus Nasturtium.

<i>Salvia microphylla</i> Species of shrub

Salvia microphylla, the baby sage, Graham's sage, or blackcurrant sage, is an evergreen shrub found in the wild in southeastern Arizona and the mountains of eastern, western, and southern Mexico. It is a very complex species which easily hybridizes, resulting in numerous hybrids and cultivars brought into horticulture since the 1990s. The specific epithet microphylla, from the Greek, means "small leaved". In Mexico it is called mirto de montes, or "myrtle of the mountains".

<i>Crocus chrysanthus</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus chrysanthus, the snow crocus or golden crocus, is a species of flowering plant of the Crocus genus in the family Iridaceae. Native to the Balkans and Turkey, it bears vivid orange-yellow bowl-shaped flowers. It has smaller corms and a smaller flower than the giant Dutch crocus, although it produces more flowers per bulb than the latter. Its common name, "snow crocus", derives from its exceptionally early flowering period, blooming about two weeks before the giant crocus, and often emerging through the snow in late winter or early spring. The leaves are narrow with a silver central stripe. Height: 3–4 inches (7.6–10.2 cm).

<i>Tulbaghia violacea</i> Species of flowering plant

Tulbaghia violacea, known as society garlic is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, indigenous to southern Africa, and reportedly naturalized in Tanzania and Mexico.

<i>Acer palmatum</i> Species of maple

Acer palmatum, commonly known as Japanese maple, palmate maple, or smooth Japanese maple (Japanese: irohamomiji, イロハモミジ, or momiji,, is a species of woody plant native to Japan, Korea, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. Many different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their large variety of attractive forms, leaf shapes, and spectacular colors.

<i>Zinnia haageana</i> Species of flowering plant

Zinnia haageana is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae from Mexico. It is an annual which does not tolerate freezing temperatures, so in temperate zones must be sown under cover, and planted out when all danger of frost is past. Growing to 40 cm (16 in), it prefers a sunny position. The cultivar 'Aztec Orange', with double orange flowers, has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

References

  1. Tropicos, Zinnia elegans Jacq.
  2. The Plant List, Zinnia violacea Cav.
  3. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. "Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map". bonap.net.
  5. Altervista Flora Italiana, Zinnia elegans Jacq.
  6. Australia, Atlas of Living. "Zinnia elegans : Zinnia – Atlas of Living Australia". bie.ala.org.au.
  7. Berendsohn, W.G. & A.E. Araniva de González. 1989. Listado básico de la Flora Salvadorensis: Dicotyledonae, Sympetalae (pro parte): Labiatae, Bignoniaceae, Acanthaceae, Pedaliaceae, Martyniaceae, Gesneriaceae, Compositae. Cuscatlania 1(3): 290–1–290–13
  8. Dodson, C.H., A.H. Gentry & F.M. Valverde Badillo. (1985). La Flora de Jauneche: Los Ríos, Ecuador. Banco Central del Ecuador, Quito. ISBN   9789978590126
  9. Balick, M. J., M. H. Nee & D.E. Atha. (2000). "Checklist of the vascular plants of Belize". Memoirs of The New York Botanical Garden 85, pp. i–ix, 1–246. ISBN   9780893274405
  10. Kirkbride, J. H.; Wiersma, J. H. (2007). "Proposal to conserve the name Zinnia elegans against Z. violacea". Taxon. 56 (3): 958–959. doi: 10.2307/25065881 . JSTOR   25065881.
  11. "Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose' (Benary's Giant Series)". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  12. "Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Scarlet' (Benary's Giant Series)". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  13. "Zinnia elegans 'Dreamland Mixed' (Dreamland Series)". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  14. "Zinnia elegans 'Dreamland Rose'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  15. "Zinnia elegans 'Dreamland Scarlet' (Dreamland Series)". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  16. "Zinnia elegans 'Dreamland Yellow' (Dreamland Series)". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  17. "Zinnia elegans 'Purple Prince'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  18. "Zinnia elegans 'Short Stuff Orange' (Short Stuff Series)". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  19. "Zinnia elegans 'Zinderella Peach'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  20. "Zinnia elegans 'Zowie! Yellow Flame'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

General sources