Zinnias are native to Mexico and Central America. The Aztecs originally called them “plants that are hard on the eyes” because of their colorful flowers. Zinnia is named after Johann Gottfried Zinn, a German botany professor who discovered these plants and brought them back to Europe in the 1700s. These flowers have an easily accessible ring of stamens and stigmata that attract a large range of insects. Hummingbirds may also be drawn to these flowers even though the flower shape is not specific to this pollinator.