page_title: Zinnia acerosa
section_title: External links
hierarchical_section_title: Zinnia acerosa / External links
caption_attribution_description: English: Zinnia acerosa in the Tucson desert, taken around the St. Francis area at the corner of Swan and River in Tucson, Arizona.
context_page_description: Zinnia acerosa is a low-growing perennial flowering plant native to the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. Common names include desert zinnia, wild zinnia, white zinnia, and spinyleaf zinnia. It is a popular landscape plant in the southwest due to its low water use and long bloom period. The flowers also serve as a food source for southwestern butterflies.
  In the United States, Zinnia acerosa grows in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas. In Mexico, it has been found in Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí.
  Zinnia acerosa is a small, branching subshrub up to 16 cm tall. Leaves are very narrow, sometimes needle-shaped, up to 2 cm long. The plant produces flower head one per stem, each head with 4-7 yellow or white ray florets surrounding 8-13 yellow or purple disc florets.
caption: Old Zinnia acerosa plant about 1' tall past blooming period in the Tucson Sonoran Desert. Many old zinnias in the desert acquire this interesting gnarly form after many years in the desert.
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