# Wild Pansy

*Viola tricolor*

The Wild Pansy was the original inspiration for the cultivated garden pansy and was historically used in folk medicine to treat respiratory ailments and skin conditions.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Malpighiales › Violaceae › Viola
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Open meadows, waste ground, acidic soils, and alpine pastures.
- **Diet:** Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- **Range:** Europe, Western Asia, North America
- **Size:** 15 to 30 centimeters in height
- **Lifespan:** 1-2 years (Annual or short-lived perennial)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Intensive agricultural expansion, herbicide application, and loss of traditional wildflower meadows.
- **Safe to approach?:** This plant is harmless and non-toxic. The flowers are edible and often used as garnishes, but ensure the specimen has not been treated with chemical pesticides or herbicides before handling.

## About

Viola tricolor , also known as Johnny Jump up (though this name is also applied to similar species such as the yellow pansy), heartsease , heart's ease , heart's delight , tickle-my-fancy , Jack-jump-up-and-kiss-me , come-and-cuddle-me , three faces in a hood , or love-in-idleness , is a common European wild flower, growing as an annual or short-lived perennial.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/da4873d7-d690-4faa-96e5-81e7778af358
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/55739
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola tricolor
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/11654351/medium.jpeg (Kostas Zontanos, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.