Complex sentence: The species was collected in 1789 at Tixtla, Guerrero by Sessé and Mociño and first formally described as Zinnia violacea by Cavanilles in 1791.
Split into simpler sentences: The species was collected in 1789 at Tixtla, Guerrero, by Sessé and Mociño. It was formally described as "Zinnia violacea" by Cavanilles in 1791.