How do you recognise Wild pansy (Viola tricolor)?

Leaf

Paul Fabre, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Wild pansy

Viola tricolor L.

Also known as: Heartsease, Johnny-jump-up

Family: Violaceae

10 to 30 cm tall

Meadows, gardens, borders, ordinary soils

Flowering: April – October

Full sun

Part shade

Hardy to -25°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

The wild ancestor of cultivated garden pansies, it naturally bears the three colours that give it its name. Wild pansy has larger tricoloured flowers borne on an erect, leafy stem, with no notable scent, whereas sweet violet has small, scented, violet or white flowers borne close to the ground on a stoloniferous plant with no obvious stem.

🍃 Leaves

Oval, crenate, with large, deeply cut stipules

🌸 Flowers

Small tricoloured flowers in violet, yellow and white

🍎 Fruits

Small 3-valved capsules

🪵 Bark

Low clump, slender stems

🗺️ Distribution

Europe; very common in waste ground, crops and path verges in France.

🐝 Value for pollinators

Small tricoloured nectar-bearing flowers, suited to bumblebees and long-tongued butterflies.

✂️ Horticultural uses

Borders, rock gardens, planters; wild ancestor of the cultivated garden pansy.

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No notable toxicity known; traditional use in herbal medicine for skin complaints.

⚠️ Look-alike species

Wild pansy

Viola tricolor

Sweet violet

Viola odorata

Wild pansy has larger tricoloured flowers borne on an erect, leafy stem, with no notable scent, whereas sweet violet has small, scented, violet or white flowers borne close to the ground on a stoloniferous plant with no obvious stem.

🌿 Other Violaceae to discover

Sweet violet

Viola odorata

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.