Viola arvensis
Field pansy, european field-pansy, wild pansy, Wild Pansy
(c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · licence
Family: Violaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Viola arvensis (Field pansy) is a non-native California herb in the Violaceae family, recognized by . Key features: annual habit, large lobed stipules, small flowers.
Field pansy is a naturalized annual found in the Klamath Ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada Foothills, Central Valley, and as a waif from cultivation in abandoned fields at elevations below 1,333 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces white to pale yellow flowers with violet upper petals and a distinct yellow base, often with violet veining and featuring two lateral petals with club-shaped bearded hairs. Growing prostrate to erect with multiple branched stems 5 to 35 centimeters tall, it emerges from a single taproot and spreads across the ground. Its leaves are lanceolate to oblong, 0.8 to 3.4 centimeters long, with coarsely crenate-serrate edges and a rounded to wedge-shaped base, typically glabrous on top and slightly hairy underneath along major veins. The fruit is nearly round, measuring 5 to 9 millimeters long and containing brown seeds about 1.5 to 1.9 millimeters in size.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 26 sympatric species. Key features: annual habit, large lobed stipules, small flowers
Habitat and range
Habitat: Abandoned fields
Elevation: < 1333 m
California counties: Siskiyou, Tuolumne, Santa Clara, El Dorado, Mariposa, Shasta
Outside California: widespread North America, native to Europe, Siberia, northern Africa
Bloom period
Viola arvensis blooms May-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Asarum: Viola flowers sit above ground on stalks; Asarum flowers hide at ground level under heart-shaped leaves.; vs Cardamine: Viola has irregular flowers with a spur; Cardamine has 4-petaled symmetrical flowers.; vs Lycianthes: Viola flowers have a backward spur; Lycianthes has star-shaped flowers with no spur.; vs Pelargonium: Viola has a petal-derived spur; Pelargonium has a sepal-derived spur fused to the flower stalk.; vs Eschscholzia: Viola has 5 petals with one forming a spur; Eschscholzia has 4 separate fan-shaped petals.
Frequently asked questions
Is Viola arvensis native to California?
No. Viola arvensis is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Viola arvensis bloom?
Viola arvensis blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Viola arvensis grow?
Viola arvensis occurs in Siskiyou, Tuolumne, Santa Clara, El Dorado, Mariposa, Shasta, at elevations of < 1333 m.
What plant family does Viola arvensis belong to?
Viola arvensis is in the Violaceae family, genus Viola.
What habitat does Viola arvensis grow in?
Viola arvensis grows in Abandoned fields.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.