Scientific Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Crassina grandiflora
Other common names
prarie zinnia
plains zinnia
desert zinnia
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
3 to 10 inches
Riparian
No
An attractive, low-growing, mound-forming, perennial with showy, yellow ray flowers and deep-orange disc flowers.
Stems greenish, much branched; ray flowers are bright yellow, disc flowers reddish-orange; leaves opposite, sessile, and crowded along the stems; narrow.
Habitat
Found on dry slopes and flats, sometimes on calcareous soils.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
7000
Flower Characteristics
Flowers of 3 to 6 bright yellow ray flowers and deep-orange disc flowers; 1-1/2 inches wide; occurring singly on tips of branches.
Flower color
Yellow
Flower shape
Daisy or dandelion-like
Tubular
No
First bloom month
May
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves stiff, hairy, very narrow, often somewhat curled, with 3 veins, to 1 inch long, opposite, sessile, and crowded along the stems.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Grayish-green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Ribbed, topped with 2 unequal awns.
Fruit type
Achene