Update. Found some exampes via youtube. Looks like as I suspected, they are similar in that stems are 3-5 feet high with bloom right ontop. I guess the look is for the Cut Flower, but definitely not something I would want to grow within a easy eyeshot view

a1an,

I grew Giant Ray Asters back in 2014. I started them from seeds directly in cell packs as they resent transplanting if the rootball is disturbed. I had good luck. If I recall correctly the plants grew about 18 inches tall. The "giant" part in the name is regarding the flowers, which are quilled, about 4 inches across. I had photo albums on Facebook and will post a link to the picture below.

We had a storm a couple weeks after the photos and the plants were bent over. I cut the flowers, which last a week or so inside in a vase.

Giant Ray Asters

Chris

Hi a1an,

I have grown some quill-petalled zinnias, and they look OK in a landscape, although you don't tend to notice differences in flower form from a distance.

Some of my home-hybridized zinnias have some chrysanthemum-like flower forms.

Some have tube-like petals, which are unusual in zinnias.

There was an immature katydid on that bloom.

I grow and breed zinnias as a hobby.

ZM

I chimed my thoughts on this and then some in the recent aster thread