Viola kitaibeliana Dwarf Pansy RRR DD N
This is a small flowered pansy with flowerhead no bigger than the smallest Viola arvensis - about 1 cm across. We had seen the brown remains of these plants on their exposed cliff top site in June 2004 but there was not even a trace of green to be seen. This time we caught the site not only at its best but showing one of the best crops of V. kitaibeliana that our expert local hosts had seen. It grows on rocky, gravelly soil facing the sea on a cliff top close to a popular car park for visitors who like to come for cliff walks and to admire the scenery. There were a few tourists about but none bothered to look closely at the small spring flowers of the cliffs where this beautiful little plant grew alongside Mibora minima (Early sand-grass), Moenchia erecta (Upright Chickweed)and Polycarpon tetraphyllum (Four-leaved Allseed).
Viola kitaibeliana does not grow on the mainland at all. It is confined to the Channel Island and the Scillies and is found nowhere else.
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| Viola kitaibeliana Dwarf Pansy |
Pleinmont Cliffs, Guernsey 16th April 2005
Added on 17th April 2005, updated 24th February 2012