Zinnia (zinia)

[NL. (Linnæus, 1763), named after J. G. Zinn (1727-59), who wrote on the plants of Göttingen.] 1. A genus of composite plants, of the tribe Helianthoideæ, type of the subtribe Zinnieæ. It is characterized by soli tary radiate flower-heads with a conical or cylindrical receptacle, the flowers both of the disk and ray being fertile, and those of the ray almost or quite without a tube, and persistent upon the ripened achene; the achenes of the inner flowers each bear from one to three awns. There are 12 species, natives of Mexico, Texas, and Arizona, 2 of which, long cultivated in gardens, are now widely naturalized. They are annuals, perennials, or sometimes shrubby plants, bearing opposite entire leaves and rather large and showy flower-heads peduncled at the ends of the branches or in the forks between them. Five species occur within the United States, mostly with light yellow or sulphur-colored rays. The cultivated species are chiefly of various shades of deep red; they have been called youth - and - old - age, from the lasting and somewhat rigid rays and the continued production of new disk-flowers; but are more usually known by the generic name zinnia, especially in the common double form. 2. [ l. c.] A plant of this genus. Zinn's corona. An arterial plexus about the optic nerve, in the sclerotic. of the ginger of commerce, especially those of Z. of ficin ale, Zinn's ligament. See ligament of Zinn, under the ginger-plant of India (see cut under ginger ). The root of Z. Ca umunar, of India, is used as a tonic and stimu ligament. lant, and is cultivated under the name of ca umunar Zinn's membrane. The anterior lamella of ginger or Bengal root. Also Zinziber. the iris of the eye. Zingiber aceæ (zin"ji-be-rā'sē-ē), n . pl . [NL. Zinn's zonule. See zonule of Zinn , under zo nule. (Richard, 1808), Zingiber + -aceæ.] An or- der of monocotyledonous plants, of the series Epigynæ , distinguished from the order Musaceæ by its single perfect stamen. It is characterized by irregular flowers with distinct calyx and corolla, infe- rior ovary, usually arillate seeds, and an embryo in a canal in the center of the albumen. There are over 470 species, at Zinnwald in the Erzgebirge. zinnwaldite (zin'wol-dīt), n. [ Zinnwald (see def.) + -ite2.] A kind of mica related to lep i- dolite, but containing both lithium and iron: it is often found a ociated with tin ores, as of 36 genera, cla ed in 3 tribes, of which Zingiber, Maran ta, and Canna are the types. They are perennial tropical herbs growing from a horizontal thickened rootstock, their leaves chiefly radical, large and ornamental, with numerous Parallel vein diverging obliquely from the midi Hedychi um, Alpinia, Curcuma, Kæmpferia, and Canna; in many, especially Mantis i a, they resemble orchids. They have a strong tendency to petaloid development, producing rich ly colored bracts in Curcuma; three petaloid staminodes an edible fruit by Globba, and a tough fiber by Phrynium and Calathea. Also Zinziberaceæ.