• Photo of Zinnia angustifolia (Zinnia angustifolias)

Plant Profile: Zinnia angustifolia

Taxonomy: Zinnia angustifolia

Names

Creeping Zinnia, Mexican Zinnia, Narrow-leaf Zinnia

  • Photo of Zinnia angustifolia (Zinnia angustifolias)

Phonetic Spelling:ZIN-ee-ah an-gus-tih-FOH-lee-ah

Genus:Zinnia

Species:angustifolia

Family:Asteraceae

Narrow-leaf Zinnia, also known as Mexican Zinnia, is a compact and bushy annual belonging to the daisy family, originally from Mexico. This plant typically reaches heights of 8 to 16 inches, supported by hairy, branching stems. It produces an abundance of bright orange, daisy-like flowers from summer until frost, which are particularly attractive to butterflies. Various cultivars expand the color palette to include shades of red, orange, yellow, pink, white, and combinations of these hues. For optimal growth, it is best to plant them in a sunny spot with well-draining, slightly dry clay or loam soil. Incorporating organic matter, such as compost, before planting can enhance the plants' quality. These vibrant flowers are highly drought-resistant and are rarely affected by deer. They are ideal for mass planting in pollinator gardens, along borders, or near patios. Additionally, they thrive in containers or hanging baskets and can beautifully line walkways or complement cutting and cottage-style gardens.

Quick Identification

Zinnia angustifolia Feature Summary

Zinnia angustifolia Image Gallery

Tags

#hummingbirds
#white
#yellow
#full sun tolerant
#annual
#drought tolerant
#orange
#fall interest
#cpp
#summer flowers
#deer resistant
#long bloom time
#spring interest
#pollinator plant
#fantz
#dry soils tolerant
#butterfly friendly
#nectar plant mid-summer
#nectar plant late summer
#nectar plant early fall
#partial shade tolerant
#non-toxic for horses
#non-toxic for dogs
#non-toxic for cats
#black walnut toxicity tolerant

Similar Plants

Zinnia angustifolia is often confused with:

Zinnia angustifolia Feature Summary

Attributes
Northern and western Mexico
South and Central America, the West Indies, the United States, Australia, and Italy
Attracts butterflies.
Drought, Dry Soil, Black Walnut. Excellent disease resistance to fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and leaf spots.
Wildlife Food Source
Attracts Pollinators
Colorful
Attractive Flowers
Easy to Grow
Flowers
The inflorescence is a composite head on terminal elongated peduncles; heads small, to 1" in diameter; involucral bracts imbricated, broadly obtuse. Flowers are typically single, of limited color as well as have actinomorphic symmetry; ray flowers in one series, showy, conspicuous, to 6" long, white or yellow, reflexed with age; disc flowers yellow, prominent.
Pink
White
Gold/Yellow
Red/Burgundy
Orange
Good Cut
Showy
Long Bloom Season
7 - 20 petals/rays
1-3 inches
Leaves
Leaves are opposite, sessile, subclasping, linear to linear-lanceolate, entire, acute, base trucate to weakly subcordate; leaves to 1" wide with 1 midrib vein.
Linear
Lanceolate
1-3 inches
< 1 inch
Whole Plant Traits
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Good Drainage
Occasionally Dry
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
4a
4b
5b
5a
6a
6b
7a
7b
8b
8a
2a
2b
3a
3b
9a
9b
10a
10b
11a
11b
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Stem
Landscape
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Butterfly Garden
Pollinator Garden
Cottage Garden
Border
Mass Planting
Accent
Small groups
Drought
Deer
Dry Soil
Diseases
Black Walnut
Container
Patio
Walkways
Naturalized Area
Small Space
Hanging Baskets
Coastal
Butterflies
Pollinators
Bees
Hummingbirds

Zinnia angustifolia Attributes

Zinnia angustifolia: Country Or Region Of Origin

Northern and western Mexico

Zinnia angustifolia: Distribution

South and Central America, the West Indies, the United States, Australia, and Italy

Zinnia angustifolia: Wildlife Value

Attracts butterflies.

Zinnia angustifolia: Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems)

Drought, Dry Soil, Black Walnut. Excellent disease resistance to fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and leaf spots.

Zinnia angustifolia: Life Cycle

Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody

Zinnia angustifolia: Recommended Propagation Strategy

Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting

Zinnia angustifolia: Play Value

Attractive Flowers
Attracts Pollinators
Buffer
Colorful
Defines Paths
Easy to Grow
Edible fruit
Fragrance
Pieces Used in Games
Screening
Shade
Sound
Textural
Wildlife Cover/Habitat
Wildlife Food Source
Wildlife Larval Host
Wildlife Nesting
Wind Break
Wind Shimmer

Zinnia angustifolia Flowers

Zinnia angustifolia: Flower Description

The inflorescence is a composite head on terminal elongated peduncles; heads small, to 1" in diameter; involucral bracts imbricated, broadly obtuse. Flowers are typically single, of limited color as well as have actinomorphic symmetry; ray flowers in one series, showy, conspicuous, to 6" long, white or yellow, reflexed with age; disc flowers yellow, prominent.

Zinnia angustifolia: Flower Color

filter_vintage
Gold/Yellow
filter_vintage
Orange
filter_vintage
Pink
filter_vintage
Red/Burgundy
filter_vintage
White

Zinnia angustifolia: Flower Inflorescence

Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel

Zinnia angustifolia: Flower Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Zinnia angustifolia: Flower Bloom Time

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Zinnia angustifolia: Flower Petals

2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals

Zinnia angustifolia: Flower Shape

Bell
Cross
Crown
Cup
Dome
Funnel
Irregular
Lipped
Radial
Saucer
Star
Trumpet
Tubular
Urn
Wheel

Zinnia angustifolia: Flower Size

1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches

Zinnia angustifolia Leaves

Zinnia angustifolia: Leaf Description

Leaves are opposite, sessile, subclasping, linear to linear-lanceolate, entire, acute, base trucate to weakly subcordate; leaves to 1" wide with 1 midrib vein.

Zinnia angustifolia: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Zinnia angustifolia: Leaf Color

spa
Green

Zinnia angustifolia: Leaf Type

Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple

Zinnia angustifolia: Leaf Arrangement

Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled

Zinnia angustifolia: Leaf Shape

Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate

Zinnia angustifolia: Leaf Margin

Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate

Zinnia angustifolia: Hairs Present

No
Yes

Zinnia angustifolia: Leaf Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Zinnia angustifolia: Leaf Feel

Fleshy
Glossy
Leathery
Papery
Prickly
Rough
Rubbery
Slippery
Smooth
Soft
Velvety
Waxy

Zinnia angustifolia: Leaf Width

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Zinnia angustifolia Whole Plant Traits

Zinnia angustifolia: Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Zinnia angustifolia: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Zinnia angustifolia: Habit/Form

Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping

Zinnia angustifolia: Growth Rate

Slow
Medium
Rapid

Zinnia angustifolia: Maintenance

Low
Medium
High

Zinnia angustifolia Cultural Conditions

Zinnia angustifolia: Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Zinnia angustifolia: Soil pH

Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)

Zinnia angustifolia: Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Zinnia angustifolia: Available Space To Plant

12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet

Zinnia angustifolia: NC Region

Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont

Zinnia angustifolia: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

thermostat
10a
thermostat
10b
thermostat
11a
thermostat
11b
thermostat
2a
thermostat
2b
thermostat
3a
thermostat
3b
thermostat
4a
thermostat
4b
thermostat
5a
thermostat
5b
thermostat
6a
thermostat
6b
thermostat
7a
thermostat
7b
thermostat
8a
thermostat
8b
thermostat
9a
thermostat
9b

Zinnia angustifolia: Soil Texture

Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky

Zinnia angustifolia Stem

Zinnia angustifolia: Stem Color

grass
Green

Zinnia angustifolia: Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes

Zinnia angustifolia: Stem Surface

Corky Ridges
Covered with a powdery bloom (glaucous)
Dull
Hairy (pubescent)
Polished
Smooth (glabrous)

Zinnia angustifolia: Stem Form

Straight
Zig Zags

Zinnia angustifolia Landscape

Zinnia angustifolia: Landscape Theme

Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden

Zinnia angustifolia: Design Feature

Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree

Zinnia angustifolia: Resistance To Challenges

Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind

Zinnia angustifolia: Landscape Location

Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland

Zinnia angustifolia: Attracts

Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees