Are all zinnias edible?
Even though Zinnias are edible and non-toxic, you must take some precautions. For example, never treat your Zinnias with any chemicals if you're planning on consuming them. This includes any chemical pesticides and herbicides. This is also true when looking into compost or mulches.
Cooking With Zinnias
Although the entire zinnia is edible, Shanks recommends removing the seeds and just cooking with the petals.
reason #2: zinnias are edible
The flowers are 100 percent edible, petals and all, just like their cousins in the Aster plant family, sunflowers. While I wouldn't eat the stem—it's a little chewy—I love to pick some zinnia petals to arrange on the side of a charcuterie board, use as a garnish, or decorate a cake.
Edible flowers include citrus blossom, clover, daisies, dandelions, hibiscus, honeysuckle, lavender, lilac, mums, nasturtium, pansies, roses, sunflowers and violets, among others.
Zinnias are really quite bitter in flavour and so are better enjoyed as a pretty garnish rather than a tasty ingredient.
They are not poisonous to humans or animals, so do not worry if your child or your dog gets ahold of one. But just because they're edible doesn't mean they taste good. The swizzle zinnia has a bitter taste.
Some species of the Zinnia genus have been studied for their potential biological actions, such as antifungal [4], antioxidant, hepatoprotective [5], antibacterial, antiviral [6,7], antimalarial [8], cytotoxic (demonstrated on cancer cell lines) [9], and insecticidal [10].
Zinnia species are used in folk medicine for the treatment of malaria and stomach pain and are used as hepatoprotective, antiparasitic, antifungal and antibacterial agents.
This long bloom season makes them excellent for landscape color in mixed plantings or for cutting gardens. Zinnias are one of the best annuals for attracting pollinators, especially butterflies. Interplant zinnias between rows of vegetables or as a border around vegetables to attract more pollinators to your garden.
Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
Simple leaves are oppositely arranged with entire margins. They are lanceolate, ovate, or oblong in shape, dark green, hairy with prominent veins. The flowers may come in single or doubles types and are colored in bold shades of pink, purple, red, orange, yellow, green, and white.
Are there wild zinnias?
Wild zinnia, also called prairie zinnia or Rocky Mountain zinnia, is a mounded perennial that grows 4-8 inches high and slowly spreads by rhizomes to become a groundcover. Papery yellow flowers cover the plants from mid-summer until frost. It thrives in rugged terrain preferring hot sunny spots with well-drained soil.
Zinnia species are used in folk medicine for the treatment of malaria and stomach pain and are used as hepatoprotective, antiparasitic, antifungal and antibacterial agents.
