E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Viola arvensis Murray
European field pansy
Violaceae (Violet family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Viola arvensis
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Annual herb from a taproot, without stolons; stems erect to prostrate, 5-35 cm tall/long.

Leaves:
Basal leaves egg-shaped to lanceolate, coarsely wavy-toothed, the blades 1-3 cm long, hairy, the stalks 0.5-3 cm long; stem leaves similar; stipules leaflike, 8-14 mm long, deeply lobed, the lobes 5-9, the terminal lobe largest.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of single, axillary flowers; petals 5, creamy white or pale yellow with tinges of blue, the lower petal 7-15 mm long including the 2- to 4-mm long spur, the spur not pouched; sepals 5, broadly lanceolate, equal to or slightly shorter than the petals; style heads densely short-bearded.

Fruits:
Capsules, globose, smooth, 5-7 mm long; seeds brown.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Mesic to dry waste places and roadsides in the lowland zone; infrequent in S BC; introduced from Europe.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Viola arvensis

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	1902	1902	1902
Slope Gradient (%)	35	35	35
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	100	100	100
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	2	2	2
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	A
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	1
Modal BEC Zone Class	ESSF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	ESSF(1)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Exotic	SNA	Exotic	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Viola tricolor var. arvensis (Murray) Boiss.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-02-16 8:12:30 AM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.