Zinnia acerosa is a low growing perennial flowering plant that is native to the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. Common names include desert zinnia, wild zinnia, white zinnia and spinyleaf zinnia. It is a popular landscape plant in the southwest due to its low water use and long bloom period. The flowers also serve as a food source for southwestern butterflies.
In the United States it occurs in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas and in Mexico it is found in Sonora, Chihuahua, Nuevo León, Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí.