Hello ZinniaLove,
OK, you got my attention with those two photos. Those are possible symptoms of a bizarre plant disease called "Aster Yellows". There is almost no limit to how weird its symptoms can become.
Many years ago I had an infection of Aster Yellows in my North zinnia garden. A few of my zinnias became scarily weird. I had an instance of a large zinnia bloom developing what appeared to be a strange new zinnia plant in the center of its main bloom. It was not caused by a seed germinating in the flower head. Sometimes Aster Yellows can make your plants form what are called "Witches Brooms". I had some extreme fasciation in my zinnias. Some could be called "Witches Brooms". The cause of the disease is almost like science fiction. It is almost another life form.
So I am no longer "poo-pooing" your problem. You could be dealing with a potential Aster Yellows problem in your zinnias. You can start learning about it at this link.
https://gardenerspath.com/how-...
It is a really really weird plant disease. But you can get rid of it. And you should.
ZM
