Zinnia Flower Symbolism Facts & Meaning: Zodiac, Superstitions, Dreams, and Legends
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Zinnia Flower Facts
The Zinnia Flowers are beautiful, hardy, flowers that come in almost every and even multiple colors. Zinnias belong to the Asteraceae family. Their native habitat ranges from the Southwest United States to South America, and they especially thrive in diversity in Mexico.
Zinnia Flowers are annuals which means they only grow in a single season. These are very easy and fast-growing flowers that come in various colors and sizes. The vibrant Zinnias are single-stalk flowers and prolific bloomers. They thrive in sunny dry climates.
Zinnias have three types of petal formations: Single, where the petals are in a single row around a visible center, Double, where the center is not visible and is surrounded by multiple rows of petals, and Semi-double, with multiple rows of petals surrounding a visible center.
These colorful flowers bloom prolifically in the summer up until autumn as they are sensitive to frost. They are amazingly adaptable when given enough sunlight, so much that astronauts grew Zinnia Flower in the International Space Station.
Zinnias have many nicknames including “youth and old age” because old flowers stay as fresh as newly bloomed flowers, “poor house or everybody’s flower” because it is so easy to grow that anyone can do it, “cut and come again” pertaining to the display that when cut, two new buds will grow in the place of the cut stem, and “mal de ojos”, Spanish for sickness of the eye, because Spanish explorers first thought Zinnias were ugly flowers. Absurd!
Lastly, its genus name, Zinnia, is given in honor of the German master botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn, who was the first person to record the description of the flower.
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Zinnia Flower Uses
The Zinnia Flower is used by Native Americans in their traditional medicine and rituals. The flowers have medicinal properties that are beneficial to the skin. It also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The Navajo tribe holds the flower in high regard as one of their sacred Life Medicines.
In Brazil, Zinnias are used in rituals and cures for madness. The colorful Zinnias are also used for traditional dyes by many native tribes.
Zinnias are edible flowers and can be used as a garnish for a dish, while its fresh petals can be brewed into tea.
Zinnia Flowers are great companion plants for vegetable and flower gardens. They are highly attractive to pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. They are great borders that can be used to defend against pests, diseases, rodents, and herbivores.
These colorful vibrant flowers are also popular as ornamental cut flowers that brighten the room. They can also be dried and used in decorative crafts.
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Zinnia Flower History
In their native habitats in the Americas, Zinnias were important flowers to the Native Americans for their use in traditional medicine.
Spanish explorers first laid eyes on the flowers in Mexico in the 1500s, calling them mal de ojo (sickness of the eye) because they found the flower ugly. They brought back the flower to Europe where it became a common sight in the 1600s. It was during this period that German master botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn first described the flower. Zinnias are named in his honor.
More European explorers brought a variety of Zinnia Flowers from Brazil back to Europe in 1796. It was this variety of Zinnia, Zinnia elegans, that was developed throughout the years to become the recognizable, vibrant double-petal flower of the modern day. The Europeans, especially the French, developed varieties of the flower, and it was eventually introduced to the United States by 1864.
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Zinnia Flower Positive Symbolism
Almost all of the Zinnia’s symbolism is positive. Depending on its color, Zinnias can mean different positive things but the flower mainly represents friendship, endurance, lasting affection, remembrance, and goodness.
Red and magenta flowers are given as a gift to loved ones while orange, yellow, and white Zinnias are for friends.
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Zinnia Flower Negative Symbolism
Rarely is there a flower that has no negative symbolism like the Zinnia Flower. The closest negative symbolism of this flower is that it can represent a longing for an absent friend.
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Zinnia Flower Cultural Symbolism
Native American view Zinnia Flowers as important symbols of medicine and considered them as one of the sacred Life Medicines. The Pueblo tribe viewed the flowers to represent wisdom.
In Mexico, the ancient Aztecs found Zinnias to be unattractive flowers because of their bright colors which can be too bright under the sun. They also called it the “evil eye”. However, in modern Mexico and Spain, Zinnias are now viewed as romantic symbols of love.
Zinnias used to be the state flower of Indiana, USA from 1931 to 1957.
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Zinnia Flower Zodiac Sign
There are several characteristics of Zinnia Flowers that can be ascribed to a zodiac sign. They symbolize Leo with their sun-loving nature and vibrant attention-grabbing colors.
Zinnias can also be a flower for the zodiac Aries because of their single-focused nature. Aries are often described as stubborn and know what they want, much like Zinnia Flowers which grow against all odds.
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Zinnia Flower in Dreams
Dreaming about Zinnia Flowers can lead to many interpretations both good and bad. Dreaming of Zinnias can mean a healthy social life and an intimate relationship with a partner. The flowers can also mean having distrust in authority. On the other hand, withered Zinnias can mean problems with a family member.
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Zinnia Flower Omens and Superstitions
Zinnias are commonly used by native tribes of the Americas in their folk medicine to cure various ailments. The Pueblo tribe of North America viewed the power as a sign of wisdom and would feed the edible flower to young children in the belief that this will help them grow up to be intelligent and well-spoken adults.
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Zinnia Flower Mythology and Folklore
Native tribes of North, Central, and South Americas hold Zinnia Flowers in high regard for their importance in the ecosystem and the animals around it. It is believed that Zinnias bring spiritual balance to nature and are associated with spirit animals. Zinnias are seen to provide energy to the animals in the ecosystem and the spirits of the animals help the flower bloom.
