Viola rafinesquei Greene

Field Pansy

Herb

Annual

Vascular

Field Pansy is a native herbaceous annual in the Violet family (Violaceae). It is native to all of Alabama. Field Pansy occurs in lawns, in cemeteries, in fields, in pastures, and on roadsides. It is a winter annual with a taproot. Stems are erect, branched from the base or unbranched, green or purplish in color, angled, and glabrous or slightly pubescent on the angles. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, ovate to ovate-lanceolate in outline, and glabrous. The stipules are well-developed with deep lobes and are ciliate on the margins. Flowers are solitary from the axils of the leaves. The chasmogamous flower have 5 blue, white, or lavender petals with dark purple veins. The lowermost petal has a spot of yellow near its base, and the two lateral petals are bearded with white hairs. Field Pansy is the only annual Violet species that produces cleistogamous flowers. The fruit is an ellipsoid capsule.—A. Diamond

Historically this taxon has been treated as Viola bicolor Pursh (1813) which turns out to be illegitimate due to being a later homonym of V. bicolor Hoffm. (1804). Thus the oldest correct name is Viola rafinesquei Greene. Greene used the spelling "rafinesquii" but an allowable correction (according to the Code) to more closely match the honoree, Rafinesque, is used here.--B.R. Keener

Native FAC (NWPL)

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