Though almost always considered a 'beginner's flower,' the zinnia nevertheless has a long and controversial history. Records of its use date back to at least to the 1500s, when it first appears in Aztec garden blogs and anonymous conquistadors 'snarkily' referred to it in the comments as 'mal de ojos' (which of course is Spanish for 'fugly'). German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn (1727 – 1759)-after whom the plant is named-brought it back to Europe, however, where it faded in and out of popularity for several centuries.