Hi ZenMan,
Yes I meant to post in this thread. I hope that is ok. I am new to Zinnia breeding but all the zinnias I grew this year were dedicated to trying my hand at zinnia breeding. You're right. It IS fun.
The plants that this is occurring in are both in seeds saved from indoor growing and hand pollinating last winter as well as from commercial seeds purchased.
Here are two photos that had these stems.
