Editing Pansy (section)

=== Historical background ===
[[File:Pansy bi colour.jpg|thumb|A bicolor pansy]]

In the early 19th century, [[Lady Mary Elizabeth Bennet]] (1785–1861), daughter of [[Emma, Lady Tankerville]] and the [[Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville|Earl of Tankerville]], collected and cultivated every sort of ''Viola tricolor'' (commonly, heartsease) she could procure in her father's garden at [[Walton-upon-Thames]], Surrey. Under the supervision of her gardener, William Richardson, a large variety of plants was produced via cross-breeding. In 1812, she introduced her pansies to the horticultural world, and, in 1813, Mr. Lee of Vineyard Nursery,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pansy - Encyclopedia of Cultivated Plants: From Acacia to Zinnia |url=https://ebrary.net/28039/environment/pansy |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=Ebrary}}</ref> a well-known florist and nurseryman, discovered her collection and further cultivated the flower. Other nurserymen followed Lee's example, and the pansy became a favorite among the public.

About the same time that Lady Bennett was busy cultivating heartsease, James, Lord Gambier was doing the same in his garden at Iver under the advice and guidance of his gardener William Thompson. A yellow viola, ''Viola lutea'', and a wide-petalled pale yellow species of Russian origin, ''Viola altaica'' were among the crosses that laid the foundation for the new hybrids classed as ''Viola'' × ''wittrockiana'', named for the Swedish botanist [[Veit Brecher Wittrock]] (1839–1914). A round flower of overlapping petals was the aim of some early experimenters; in the late 1830s a chance sport that no longer had narrow nectar guides of dark color on the petals but a broad dark blotch on the petals (which came to be called the "face"), was found. It was developed in Gambier's garden and released to the public in 1839 with the name "Medora".

By 1833, there were 400 named pansies available to gardeners who once considered its progenitor, heartsease, a weed. Specific guidelines were formulated for show pansies but amateur gardeners preferred the less demanding fancy pansies. About this time, James Grieve developed the viola and Dr. Charles Stuart developed the violetta, both smaller, more compact plants than the pansy.<ref>[[Sophia Orne Johnson|Johnson, Sophia Orne]]. ''Every woman her own flower gardener: A manual of flower gardening for ladies''. 7th ed. Pg 38–39. Ladies Floral Cabinet Co., 1885.</ref><ref>Farrar, Elizabeth. 2000. [http://www.americanvioletsociety.org/Species_N_Cultivars/Pansy.htm On the Subject of Pansies, Violas, and Violettas]. The American Violet Society.</ref><ref>[http://windyacres.net/our-products/pansy/ Pansy]. Windy Acres, Inc.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=EFwjAQAAIAAJ&dq=lady+mary+bennett+pansies&pg=PA111 The Country gentleman's magazine]. Volume 7. 1871. Pg. 111–112</ref>