The Pansy
Viola Wittrockiana
Pansies represent the THOUGHTS of lovers, shared before a word is spoken.
Named for the French word for "thought" (pensee), the pansy was said to be a charmed flower, possessing a telepathic magic. Attending to the plucked bloom, you could hear your lover's thoughts.
Familiarly called johnny-jump-ups, pansies were widely culitvated in the nineteeth century. A perfect pansy, it was thought, had a deep clear color, and circular skirt, a verigated fringe, and a single, bright, central eye.
-The Meaning of Flowers. Myth, Language & Lore by Gretchen scoble and Ann Fields
