Pansies and violas are closely related. Pansies are actually a hybrid of several different types of violas. Because of this, you can imagine that they look very similar. It’s pretty hard to tell them apart with just a quick look. However, once you know what you’re looking for, there are some key differences between these two flowers and their plants that make them easy enough to tell apart at a glance.
To learn what the nine differences are between these two flowers, and the basic information about both, continue reading below. Soon enough, you’ll be able to tell the differences between a pansy vs. viola in no time.
Pansy Introduction
Pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) are closely related to violas, as they are both part of the violet family. They are a hybrid of wild violas (V. tricolor) and some common garden violas like V. lutea, V. altaica, and V. cornuta. These are popular flowers, especially in city centers and public gardens because they don’t need much care and they’re colorful.
One interesting fact about pansies is that they are the birth flower for those born in February, along with violets. Since amethyst is the birthstone for those born in February, purple pansies are the most common version for the birth month.
These flowers come in three basic patterns and several dozen colors. The first pattern is just a solid color. These are generally blue or yellow. Then, there are ones with black lines that radiate from the center. These can come in many different colors.
However, the ones that are likely the most known are the ones with black or dark spots on the petals that somewhat look like a face. These flowers often have three different colors on them.
When grown properly, pansies are perennials that bloom for a relatively short period of the year. However, many people treat them simply as annuals.
Viola Introduction
Violas have a few different names, including “heartsease” and “Johnny-jump-up.” Violas come in several different colors. The most common versions are bicolored. They may also be one solid color, or have the dark ‘face’ like pansies do.
Violas aren’t as popular now, but they used to be a very important flower. Gifting a viola to your loved one showed faithfulness and loyalty. They were also used in more traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory, expectorant, and diuretic.
They are one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring. In much of the northern hemisphere, they are biennial or annual flowers. But in some parts of the world, they work as perennials, coming back year after year.
There are over 500 viola species. Some are called other names, such as pansies or violets. There’s a lot of variation because violas are quick to hybridize and create new species over time. It also makes it quite difficult to identify their species and tell them apart.
The most common of the viola species are the meadow violet, also known as blue violet (Viola sororia), and the bird’s-foot violet (V. pedata). Most violas are a shade of blue or purple, but they can come in other colors.
Pansy vs. Viola: 9 Differences
Want to learn the differences between pansies and violas? These are the 9 most common and noticeable differences between these two types of flowers.
1. The Direction of Their Petals
Both pansies and violas have five petals on each flower. But the direction these petals face though makes it easy to tell violas and pansies apart. This is also the easiest way to tell the two flowers from one another.
A pansy has four petals that face up and one that faces down. Violas, though, have two petals facing up and three down. Because of this, pansies tend to look a little top-heavy while violas look like a much more balanced flower.
2. The Size of the Plant
Violas are short plants. They often measure between three and eight inches (7.6 to 20.3 centimeters) in height.
In comparison, Pansies tend to be a bit bigger, measuring between 6 to 12 inches (15.2 to 30.5 centimeters) in height. However, this isn’t always reliable when trying to tell the difference between the two places, since there is a good amount of overlap for the different plant sizes.
3. The Size of the Flowers
Viola flowers are always smaller. They are much more compact than pansies. This means that they aren’t quite as flashy or bold in their appearance compared to pansies. However, they do tend to handle heavy rains and hail better because their petals don’t get too wet or damaged.
4. Grooming Requirements
It’s important to know the difference between violas and pansies because they have different grooming requirements. Though you can take care of them both the same way, pansies do better with deadheading while violas do their best with the removal of seed heads. Violas grow fine without deadheading as well.
5. Sprawling Behaviors: In addition to being bigger plants and having bigger flowers, pansies also spread out more. Violas are compact, staying in a small space with little to no sprawling. Pansies don’t sprawl much, but they do like to stretch out a little if given the space.
6. Number of Flowers Per Plant
Pansies have bigger flowers. Since these flowers take a lot of energy to grow and keep up, they aren’t able to produce that many flowers per plant. Violas, on the other hand, have smaller, but many more flowers. They cover a lot more space on the plant than pansy flowers do.
7. How Easy They Are to Start from Seed
If you pay attention, you’ll notice that pansies are often sold as small seedlings, rather than as seeds. This is because starting pansies from seeds is notoriously hard. Violas, though, are easy enough to start from seed. They are quick to germinate, so there’s no need to buy seedlings for violas.
8. Durability
Both pansies and violas are durable. However, they differ in how they handle weather. Both prefer cooler climates. However, violas handle the heat a little bit better than pansies.
If you live somewhere that tends to get hot a little faster in the summer, you’ll want to plant violas. If you live somewhere where it stays cold for a while in spring, pansies are the better option. They handle light frosts and cold weather better than their similar-looking counterpart.
9. Range of Color Options
Violas don’t have as many color options as pansies. They come in various shades of yellow, white, cream, and blue. Violas can have one or more of these colors at any given time.
Pansies come in a lot more options, including red, purple, bronze, pink, yellow, black, white, lavender, apricot, orange, or mahogany. Like violas, they can be one solid color or a mix of several.
