THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Zinnia

Lisa Karen Miller        

          What could a German eye doctor, a weed, and some Mexican banditos have in common?  Much, as it turns out.

          Dr. Johann Gottfried Zinn was an 18^th century professor at Gottingen University, specializing in diseases of the eye.  His avocation, however, was botany, and he traveled the world in search of new specimens.

          While collecting flowers for his hobby in Mexico, he was set upon by bandits demanding money.  All he had with him was a sack of dried flower heads, which he showed them. They hastily backed off.

          They were frightened God would punish them for attacking the feeble minded.

          After his adventure, he became director of the Botanic Garden at his university.  In 1750, the German ambassador to Mexico then sent him some seed from a curious purple plant known to locals as mal de ojos, or eyesore.

          He gave his name to the plant, and the zinnia was born. It was introduced to Europe in 1753, and hybridization began.

          In 1796, Linneas, who created the great plant taxonomy, received a specimen of Zinnia elegans from Brazil.  What made it special was its larger and lusher bloom. It arrived in the United States shortly afterward, but didn’t cause much of a sensation.

          It wasn’t until the French hybridized a double-bloomed zinnia in 1856 that interest in this flower really took off.  They also developed the many colors the flower comes in today, as well as dwarf and giant varieties.

          Zinnias carry different meanings, depending on their color.  Magenta signifies friendship and lasting affection, while white says goodness. Red conveys steadfastness and yellow daily remembrance.  A bouquet of mixed colors represents thoughts of an absent friend.

          Native to Mexico and the American Southwest, zinnias are annuals in frost-prone areas.  The Navajo consider it one of the sacred life medicines, while for the Pueblo it symbolizes wisdom.  They often feed it to young children so they will grow up to be intelligent and well spoken. Many tribes still use it as a dye for textiles.

          Zinnias now come in a rainbow of hues and dozens of varieties.  They grace the late summer garden with color when other plants begin to fade. Since they reseed freely, they can give beauty for years. After frost, collect the dry flower heads and store layered in newspaper in a rodent-proof container.  Plant in full sun the following spring, in late April.

          It took an intrepid eye doctor to turn an eyesore into a thing of beauty.

© Copyright 2023 Lisa Karen Miller