Word Net
zinnia n : any of various plants of the genus Zinnia cultivated for their variously and brightly colored flower heads [syn: old maid, old maid flower]English
Noun
- Any of several brightly coloured flowering plants, of the genus Zinnia, native to tropical America; old maid
Quotations
Italian
Noun
Zinnia is a genus of 20 species of annual and
perennial
plants of family Asteraceae,
originally from scrub and dry grassland in an area stretching from
the American
Southwest to South
America, but primarily Mexico, and notable
for their solitary long-stemmed flowers that come in a variety of
bright colors.
Zinnia leaves are opposite and usually stalkless
(sessile), with a shape ranging from linear to ovate, and pale to
middle green in color. The flowers have a range of appearances,
from a single row of petals, to a dome shape, with the colors
white, chartreuse, yellow, orange, red, purple, and lilac.
Zinnias are popular garden flowers, usually grown
from seed, and preferably in fertile, humus-rich, and well-drained soil,
in an area with full sun. They will reseed themselves each year.
Over 100 cultivars have
been produced since selective breeding started in the 19th
century.
Zinnia elegans, also known as Zinnia violacea, is
the most familiar species, originally from Mexico and thus a
warm-hot climate plant. Its leaves are lance-shaped and sandpapery
in texture, and height ranges from 15 cm to 1 meter.
Zinnia linearis, also known as Z. angustifolia,
is another Mexican species. It has a low bushy plant habit, linear
foliage, and more delicate flowers than Z. elegans - usually
single, and in shades of yellow, orange or white. It is also more
resistant to powdery
mildew than Z. elegans, and hybrids between the two species
have been raised which impart this resistance on plants intermedate
in appearance between the two. The Profusion series, with both
single and double-flowered components, is bred by Sakata of Japan,
and is among the most well-known of this hybrid group.
Zinnias seem especially favored by butterflies, and many
gardeners add zinnias specifically to attract them.
Species
Genus Zinnia L. includes the following species- Zinnia acerosa (DC.) A. Gray -- desert zinnia
- Zinnia angustifolia Kunth -- narrowleaf zinnia
- Zinnia anomala Gray -- shortray zinnia
- Zinnia bicolor
- Zinnia grandiflora Nutt. -- Rocky Mountain zinnia
- Zinnia haageana
- Zinnia linearis
- Zinnia
maritima Kunth -- Palmer's Zinnia
- Zinnia maritima var. maritima
- Zinnia maritima var. palmeri (Gray) B.L. Turner -- Palmer's zinnia
- Zinnia peruviana (L.) L. -- Peruvian zinnia
- Zinnia pumila (=Zinnia acerosa (DC.) A. Gray)
- Zinnia violacea Cav.(=Zinnia elegans Jacq.) -- elegant zinnia
Gallery
References
External Links
commons Zinnia
zinnia in German: Zinnie
zinnia in Spanish: Zinnia
zinnia in Esperanto: Zinio
zinnia in Italian: Zinnia
zinnia in Lithuanian: Gvaizdūnė
zinnia in Japanese: ジニア
zinnia in Portuguese: Zinnia
zinnia in Swedish: Zinnia
zinnia in Thai: บานชื่น