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Peruvian zinnia

Habit Annuals, mostly 30–50(–100) cm.
Stems

greenish, becoming purplish or yellowish, unbranched or sparingly branched distal to bases, strigose.

Leaf

blades 3–5-nerved, ovate to elliptic or broadly lanceolate, 25–70 × 8–35 mm, scabrellous.

Peduncles

10–50(–70) mm.

Involucres

narrowly to broadly campanulate, 9–18 × 10–20 mm.

Ray florets

6–15(–21);

corollas usually scarlet red or maroon, sometimes yellow, laminae linear to spatulate, 8–25 mm.

Disc florets

12–50;

corollas yellow, 5–6 mm, lobes ca. 1 mm.

Phyllaries

obovate to oblong, becoming scarious, glabrous, apices rounded, usually entire or erose, sometimes ciliate.

Cypselae

7–10 mm, 3-angled (ray) or compressed (disc), ribbed, ciliate;

pappi usually of 1 stout awn 4–6 mm (from shoulders of cypselae).

Paleae

red to purple or yellow, apices obtuse, erose or subentire.

2n

= 24.

Zinnia peruviana

Phenology Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Rocky roadsides, ravines, calcareous soils
Elevation 1200–1600 m (3900–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; FL; GA; NC; SC; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies (Hispaniola) [Introduced in Asia (China), South Africa, Australia]
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Discussion

Zinnia peruviana is presumably native in southern Arizona and reported as naturalized in southeastern United States.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 21, p. 73.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Ecliptinae > Zinnia
Sibling taxa
Z. acerosa, Z. anomala, Z. grandiflora, Z. violacea
Synonyms Chrysogonum peruvianum, Z. multiflora
Name authority (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 2: 1221. (1759)
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