Zinnia is a genus of 20 species of annual and perennial plants of family Asteraceae, originally from the American Southwest to South America, but primarily Mexico. Gardeners love zinnias and there are at least a hundred cultivars in a diversity of flower colors and types. There are zinnias with white, cream, green, yellow, apricot, orange, red, bronze, crimson, purple, and lilac flowers; zinnias with striped, speckled and bicolored flowers; zinnias with double, semi-double and dahlia-like "pompon" flowers. Plant sizes range from dwarfs that don't exceed 6 in (15 cm) in height to cut flower beauties that get 3 ft (0.9 m) tall.