Zinnia elegans
Zinnias variety
The Zinnia ( Zinnia violacea, Syn. Zinnia elegans Jacq ) is a plant of the genus Zinnia ( Zinnia ) in the sunflower family ( Asteraceae ) that is native to Mexico. Your grades are in the temperate climate zones ornamental plants in parks and gardens.
Description
It is an erect, unbranched to branched, annual herbaceous plant, the plant height up to one meter reached, some varieties in suitable climates even more. Against the base of the stem is hairy upright, hairy adjacent to the tip.
The sedentary, more or less elongated triangular leaves are - for daisy family rather unusual - on opposite sides. They are 6-10 cm long and 2-6 cm wide. At the bottom they are trimmed to ausgerandet heart-shaped. They are entire. Apart from the midrib run another two, clearly visible ribs in a bow to the front. The short hair, the sheets feel rough to the touch.
The terminal basket- shaped inflorescences are usually single, erect up to 15 cm long, sometimes fluted top and slightly thickened stems. The flower basket has a shell with a diameter of 10 to 15 mm and a height of 5 to 25 mm, from 20 to 25 bracts, which are three to four rows. The bracts are approximately semicircular, and green except for a blackish edge or a blackish tip. A flower basket contains 100 to 150 florets ( = disc florets ), and eight to 21 ( at breeds also to three times as many ) ray florets.
Of the female florets 1 to 3.5 cm long, with cultivated varieties also significantly longer. Its shape they are narrow oval and often provided at the top with two or three small teeth. Their colors range orange - red and purple, in breeding, there are almost all the colors of white, green, yellow through orange and red to purple.
The mostly yellow tubular flowers have five clearly visible, narrow triangular, curved back and corolla lobes; sometimes the outer tubular flowers are also blackish. You are a total of 7 to 9 mm long and the corolla lobes are 1 to 2.5 mm long. Among the varieties, there are also many " filled ", where there is no disc florets.
The heyday in Mexico goes from August to November. In Central Europe the varieties of July bloom until October.
The achenes are 6 to 10 mm long. The ray florets are triangular and the tubular flowers they are compressed. In the pure type a pappus is absent; in breeding, which often other species are crossed, a hairy pappus may be present. During fruit ripening, the ray florets are retained on the achenes as organs of flight.
Ingredients
In zinnias sesquiterpene lactones are included, which can cause allergic reactions (contact allergens). They also contain nicotine.
Occurrence
Zinnia violacea originates only from the central Mexico, but is naturalized in Nicaragua and Panama.
This species grows along roadsides, fallow fields and pastures.
History
The plant is named after the botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn. This had the zinnias in 1757 first described as Rudbeckia foliis oppositis hirsutis ovato - Acutis, calyce imbricatus, radii petalis pistillatis. Carl Linnaeus realized that it was not Rudbeckia and named in honor of the type 1759 deceased tin Zinnia pauciflora.
The zinnia was brought in 1790 by Mexico to Europe. The first description took Jacquin 1793 in Vienna before using a red-flowered form. 1796 was the Madrid Botanical Garden, a purple flowering form. 1800 she came to England. After Germany they came in 1808 (Berlin). The slightly higher seed to be amplified species was rapidly a common garden plant. It created numerous color variations. 1836 there were already ten varieties.
1856 originated in France a filled variant. Additional varieties were probably formed by crossbreeding other zinnias species.
Today there is a plethora of high and low grades 90-30 centimeters in height in different colors and fillings. Often the ornamental varieties hybrids of Zinnia angustifolia and Zinnia violacea.