More than 2200 species of the wild flora and fauna photographed in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico and the surrounding area.
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Sunflowers, Bellflowers, and Fanflowers of Zihuatanejo
ORDER ASTERALES
Elegant Zinnia (Pink)
Zinnia elegans
Flowers by Colour
-Vascular Plants (Phylum Tracheophyta)
-Flowering Plants (Subphylum Angiospermae)
-Sunflowers, Bellflowers, Fanflowers, and Allies (Order Asterales)
-Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies (Family Asteraceae)
-Subfamily Asteroideae
-Sunflowers and Allies (Tribe Heliantheae)
-Subtribe Zinniinae
-Zinnias (Genus Zinnia)
-Elegant Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
Zinnias are native to Mexico and Central America. The Aztecs originally called them “plants that are hard on the eyes” because of their colorful flowers. Zinnia is named after Johann Gottfried Zinn, a German botany professor who discovered these plants and brought them back to Europe in the 1700s. These flowers have an easily accessible ring of stamens and stigmata that attract a large range of insects. Hummingbirds may also be drawn to these flowers even though the flower shape is not specific to this pollinator.
Description
• Zinnia elegans, commonly known as common zinnia or youth-and-age, is an annual flowering herb in the daisy family (Asteraceae). It typically grows 30–100 cm tall, with upright, branching stems and opposite, ovate to lance-shaped leaves that are rough and slightly hairy. Its large, colourful flower heads may be single, semi-double or fully double, with colours including pink, red, orange, yellow, purple and white. The flowers attract butterflies, bees and other pollinators. The fruits are small achenes containing seeds. Native to Mexico, this species is widely cultivated as an ornamental in gardens and is valued for its long flowering period and tolerance of warm weather.
Range
• Zinnia elegans is native to Mexico and has been introduced and cultivated worldwide in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. It is widely grown throughout Mexico, including Guerrero, where it is commonly planted in gardens, parks and landscaped areas. Outside cultivation, it may occasionally escape into disturbed ground in suitable climates.
Habitat
• This species naturally occurs in open, seasonally dry environments and disturbed habitats, including grasslands, scrub margins, roadsides and field edges. It thrives in warm conditions, full sunlight and well-drained soils, and is sensitive to prolonged waterlogging. Around Zihuatanejo, it is most commonly encountered in gardens, cultivated plots and roadside plantings, where it flowers readily during warm weather with adequate moisture.
