Zinnias Click on the image above to download a complete copy of this publication in PDF format. Download a free copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Recently, new hybrid zinnia cultivars have attracted attention as a cut flower crop. Zinnia color ranges from crimson to dark purple.
Solid colors are the most popular, though there is interest in the variegated forms.
Zinnias also display great variety in shape and size, growing from 3-30 inches high. The three types of flowers pompon, cactus and dahlia all have flower diameters that range from under 2 inches to more than 4 inches. Native to Mexico, modern garden zinnias have been developed primarily from one species, Zinnia elegans Jacq., named after Johann G. Zinn, professor of botany at Gottingen. There are now 16-20 species, mostly annuals, in Mexico, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Chile. The other two species, Z. angustifolia and Z. haagean a, are compact, have smaller flowers and are not really useful as a cut flower.