Viola x contempta Hybrid Pansy CCC N
This is the hybrid between Viola tricolor (Wild Pansy) and Viola arvensis (Field Pansy). Viola tricolor is not very common in the local fields but Viola arvensis is. At first the vast majority of these plants resembled Viola arvensis with its much smaller flowers and long sepals but after week or two, there was a change and larger flowered, multicolored blooms appeared. These were typical of Viola x contempta colouring and habit.
The reason why this field, notionally full of Oilseed rape (Canola) had so many arable weeds including millions of plants of Viola x contempta was due to extraordinary weather conditions. February, when the farmer would be preparing the fields for crops, was the wettest on record and no herbicide was used. By the time April arrived the weather had been much better and April and May (to date 27th May) has seen virtually no rainfall at all in this area.
|
| Viola x contempta Hybrid Pansy |
Oil seed rape field, Helsby, Cheshire 6th May 2020
Added on 27th May 2020