# garden pansy (*Viola × wittrockiana*)

Garden pansies are colorful flowers that brighten up gardens and parks. They have soft petals and come in many colors like purple, yellow, and white. These cheerful flowers are great for attracting butterflies!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Gardens

![garden pansy](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Pansy_Viola_x_wittrockiana_Red_Cultivar_Flower_2000px.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Photo by and (c)2008 Derek Ramsey ( Ram-Man ), GFDL 1.2 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pansy_Viola_x_wittrockiana_Red_Cultivar_Flower_2000px.jpg)

## Appearance

The garden pansy has large, flat, vibrant flowers with five petals, often featuring a distinct dark blotch in the center resembling a 'face'. Its colors range widely, including purple, yellow, white, and blue, frequently bicolored or tricolored.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Malpighiales
- **Family:** Violaceae
- **Genus:** Viola

## Interesting facts

- Ancient Romans believed pansies had medicinal powers, used for headaches and soothing minor pains!
- Pansies are hybrids, bred from smaller wild violets to create their famously large, colorful blooms!
- The name 'pansy' comes from the French word 'pensée,' meaning 'thought' or 'remembrance'!
- You can press pansy petals to create beautiful, long-lasting, colorful art pieces!

## Special abilities

- **Cool Bloomer:** Garden pansy thrives and blooms vibrantly even in chilly spring and fall, extending its colorful season.
- **Pollinator Beacon:** Garden pansy has bright, colorful petals with nectar guides that strongly attract bees and butterflies for pollination.
- **Reseeding Pioneer:** Garden pansy drops many tiny seeds that easily sprout, allowing new plants to 'jump up' and grow in surprising places.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 15-30 cm
- **Spread:** 15-30 cm
- **Flower Size:** 5-10 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late Winter to Early Summer, often reblooming in Fall
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — attracts bees with nectar
- **Pollinates:** [painted lady](https://www.snappit.app/explore/painted-lady) (*Vanessa cardui*) — provides nectar for butterflies
- **Eaten by:** Spanish slug (*Arion vulgaris*) — leaves and flowers eaten by slugs
- **Eaten by:** green peach aphid (*Myzus persicae*) — aphids feed on plant sap

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second.
- [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always check with an adult before picking flowers.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify garden pansy?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is garden pansy?

15-30 cm

### How wide does garden pansy spread?

15-30 cm

### How big are the flowers on garden pansy?

5-10 cm

### When does garden pansy bloom?

Late Winter to Early Summer, often reblooming in Fall

### Is garden pansy edible?

Yes

### Is garden pansy toxic?

None

### What is garden pansy's lifecycle?

Annual

## Where to spot

- [The Green](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/the-green) — Delaware, US · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Garden Pansy: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-pansy)