[ noun ] any of various plants of the genus Zinnia cultivated for their variously and brightly colored flower heads <noun.plant>
Zinnia \Zin"ni*a\, n. [NL. So called after Professor Zinn, of G["o]ttingen.] (Bot.) Any plant of the composite genus {Zinnia}, Mexican herbs with opposite leaves and large gay-colored blossoms. {Zinnia elegans} is the commonest species in cultivation.