Editing Pansy (section)

== Terminology ==
[[File:Pansy Flower.jpg|thumb|Pansy flower]]
[[File:Purple Pansy.jpg|thumb|Pansy displaying the two upper overlapping petals, the two side petals, and the single bottom petal]]

English common names, such as "pansy", "viola" and "violet" may be used interchangeably. One possible distinction is that plants considered to be "pansies" are classified in ''Viola'' sect. ''Melanium'', and have four petals pointing upwards (the two side petals point upwards), and only one pointing down, whereas those considered to be "violets" are classified in ''Viola'' sect. ''Viola'', and have two petals pointing up and three pointing down.<ref name=Yock03 /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Viola-cornuta.htm|title=Viola cornuta (horned pansy)|work=kew.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first1=Elżbieta |last1=Kuta |first2=Jerzy |last2=Bohdanowicz |first3=Andrzej |last3=Małobęcki |first4=Aneta |last4=Słomka |date=2012 |title=Floral and pollen characters a useful tools in ''Viola'' taxonomy |journal=Acta Biologica Cracoviensia |volume=54 |issue=suppl. 1 |page=18 |url=http://www2.ib.uj.edu.pl/abc/pdf/suppl54_1/sup_54_s1.pdf |access-date=2014-10-29 |name-list-style=amp }}</ref> Another possible distinction is made by the American Violet Society – the [[International Cultivar Registration Authority]] for the genus ''Viola''. It divides cultivated varieties ([[cultivar]]s) in ''Viola'' sect. ''Melanium'' into four subgroups: B1 – pansies, B2 – violas, B3 – violettas and B4 – cornuta hybrids. On this classification, modern "pansies" differ from the other three subgroups by possessing a well-defined "blotch" or "eye" in the middle of the flower.<ref>{{cite web |title=Classification of the Cultivated forms of the genus Viola |url=http://americanvioletsociety.org/Registry/Cultivar_Registry_Classification.htm |work=Registry of the Cultivated Forms of the Genus Viola |publisher=The American Violet Society |access-date=2014-10-29 }}</ref>

Modern horticulturalists tend to use the term "pansy" for those multi-coloured large-flowered hybrids that are grown for bedding purposes every year, while "viola" is usually reserved for smaller, more delicate annuals and perennials.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}

=== Etymology ===
The name "pansy" is derived from the [[French language|French]] word ''{{linktext|pensée}}'', "thought", and was imported into [[Late Middle English]] as a name of ''Viola'' in the mid-15th century, as the flower was regarded as a symbol of remembrance. The name "love in idleness" implied the image of a lover who has little or no other employment than to think of his beloved.<ref name=McGlashan1853 />

The name "heart's-ease" came from [[St.&nbsp;Euphrasia]], whose name in Greek signifies cheerfulness of mind. The woman, who refused marriage and took the veil, was considered a pattern of humility, hence the name "humble violet".<ref name=McGlashan1853>McGlashan, James. ''The Dublin University Magazine: A Literary and Political Journal''. Vol. 42. July to December 1853: 286.</ref>

In Scandinavia, Scotland, and Germany, the pansy is known as the "stepmother" flower; an [[aitiological]] tale about a selfish stepmother is told to children while the teller plucks off corresponding parts of the blossom.<ref name=Silverthorne2003>{{Cite book|last=Silverthorne|first=Elizabeth|year=2002|orig-year=1996|chapter=Violet/Pansy|title=Legends and Lore of Texas Wildflowers|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|pages=190–195|isbn=1-58544-230-5}}</ref> The German name is ''{{linktext|Stiefmütterchen}}'' ({{Literal translation|little stepmother}}); in the German version of the tale, the lower petal represents the stepmother, the large upper petals represent her daughters, and the small upper petals represent her stepdaughters.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Heartsease–Herb of the Month|url=https://herbsocietyblog.wordpress.com/2021/03/01/heartsease-herb-of-the-month/|last=Readal|first=Maryann|date=March 1, 2021|website=The Herb Society of America Blog|access-date=March 18, 2023}}</ref> The Czech name for the flower, ''maceška'', also means "little stepmother" and is said to derive from the flower's resemblance of an evil woman's sullen face. In Slovenian, the flower is instead identified with an orphan.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Vlková|first=Jana|title=Maceška, dáma s neobyčejnou pověstí|trans-title=Pansy, a lady with an extraordinary reputation|url=https://novyprostor.cz/clanky/525/maceska-dama-s-neobycejnou-povesti|magazine=Nový Prostor|language=Czech|issue=525|access-date=March 18, 2023}}</ref>

In Italy, the pansy is known as ''flammola'' (little flame).<ref name=Dix1829 />

In Israel, the pansy is called Amnon Ve'Tamar, (אמנון ותמר), named after the rape story of [[Amnon]] and [[Tamar (daughter of David)|Tamar]], in which Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar. The name was suggested by [[Shaul Tchernichovsky]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tchernichovsky |first=Shaul |title=אמנון ותמר (משירי הפרחים) |url=https://benyehuda.org/read/1223 |language=he}}</ref>