Viola rafinesquei (syn. Viola bicolor), commonly known as the American field pansy or wild pansy, is an annual plant in the violet family found throughout much of North America.[2] There has been some debate as to whether the plant is native there or if it was introduced from the Old World as a variety of Viola kitaibeliana, but it is now generally thought to be native to the North America.[3] It is common in disturbed habitats but is also found in fields and open woods on substrates ranging from sandy soil to clay to limestone.[4][5][6]

Viola rafinesquei
A light morph flower growing in a sandy field along the mouth of the James River in southeastern Virginia
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Violaceae
Genus:	Viola
Species:	V. rafinesqueii
Binomial name
Viola rafinesqueii Greene
Synonyms[2]
Mnemion rafinesquei (Greene) Nieuwl. Mnemion tenellum Webb Viola bicolor Pursh Viola kitaibeliana var. rafinesquei (Greene) Fernald Viola rafinesquei f. minor Moldenke

References