Part of the daisy family – yet distinctively different to its common counterpart – you can consider the zinnia the humble daisy’s cooler cousin. Their deciding difference? The bold colours that typify its petals. Long in stem and rich in pigment, their flowers burst out of the dry, central American grassland that is their native home. Its Pokemon-esque name was derived from Johann Gottfried Zinn – the German botanist who penned the rudimentary description of the flower – but a quick glance at the guy’s Wikipedia page suggests there is nothing remotely interesting about him so we won’t dwell on that…
![Floom Fotm Zinnia 1](https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-1_180831_145519.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=246ca66f79ba774a380108e37d1a6b7b 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-1_180831_145519.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=d9a34427e29efb1c3797a3ec4fb0652c 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-1_180831_145519.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=acfca91a415d19e2fc6690eac971af33 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-1_180831_145519.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=e5fd6944940e34ba552abcc893a3bb2b 400w)
…Instead, let’s focus on a claim to fame that arguably makes the zinnia the coolest FOTM to date. In January 2016, NASA announced that a zinnia had flourished upon the International Space Station – making it, they claimed, the first flower ever grown outside of the Earth’s biosphere. If that’s not out of this world, what is? From Shane Meadows-esque dioramas to the thought of a delicate daisy bobbing around in zero-gravity, a vibrant bloom amongst an infinite void: what a great little reminder of just how inspiring plant-life can be.
![Floom Fotm Zinnia 2](https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=0af5801b2b0cf80d9b7195e63aaba18a 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=ff52eb6c0db39c641bf2578cb436cc78 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=20530f320433ac98ca1166de3ee5ee27 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=71575218e72094e9fb84efb8134b0812 400w)
![Floom Fotm Zinnia 3](https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-3.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=74c019b5673feecd58b16005d3d692fb 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-3.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=b872aa23daacd69ff96cae655dfc9a4a 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-3.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=14b3b413269fe1cbd9433162c79b66ec 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-3.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=d8c41bcda9ecd284cc0e8c49d6e3de70 400w)
But truth be told, zinnia stems haven’t always been famed, not least for their striking beauty. When the Spanish first laid their eyes on the flower in Mexico – long before the stem was popular in horticulture – they called it “mal de ojos” a title that translates to “sickness of the eye” – a name that’s still used to describe the plant there today. Meanwhile, In Europe, zinnia became known as the “poorhouse flower” or “everybody’s flower” because they were so common and easy to grow!
![Floom Fotm Zinnia 5](https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-5.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=d80f31dd82084cd415184d70235b7a71 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-5.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=9e75a2cd6937d08f77c5fd5c9c502889 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-5.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=5d01079df50c7837e4d693c8e30e5265 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-5.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=180d3e61bfc3f8bf2aafd639f30b7d5d 400w)
Once known as “youth and old age” stems – because their old blooms stay fresh as their new blooms open – zinnia are now widely termed “cut and come again” flowers for their ability to sprout new stems with flower buds at speed, making them a firm favourite with gardeners and florists alike. Looking to send a bouquet to a special someone? According to the language of flowers, zinnias are symbolic of friendship, so there’s no better fit.
![Floom Fotm Zinnia 4](https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=ff6361fc6be04ed4186ca9fbfe2d97fe 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=10b3dedb43b373931a43699ab0fc249f 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=61e84f70b45c0f71c451aeb8e9c79b0c 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-fotm-zinnia-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=22cd380d1562a0e18a1be32d6ea5e8b9 400w)