PANSY

any of several popular cultivated violets (genus Viola), of the family Violaceae. Pansies have been grown for so long a period under such diverse conditions and in such a variety of forms that their origin is uncertain. The numerous forms, with their striking variations in colour, are purely an artificial production of gardeners and differ in a marked degree from any related wild plant now known. The garden pansy (V. wittrockiana) is generally supposed to be merely a cultivated form of Viola tricolor, which is a weed of European grainfields. The garden pansy is specifically a hybrid of V. tricolor with such species as the tufted pansy, or horned viola (V. cornuta), V. lutea, and V. altaica. It is an annual or a short-lived perennial and grows about 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 inches) tall. Heart-shaped or rounded leaves sprout from the base, and oblong or oval leaves grow from the stems. The plant's velvety flowers, which usually occur in combinations of blue, yellow, and white, are about 2.5 to 5 cm across and have five petals. The garden pansy grows best in rich soil in a damp, cool climate. The wild pansy, also known as johnny-jump-up, heartsease, and love-in-idleness, has been widely naturalized in North America. The flowers of this form are usually purple and less than 2 cm across.