Viola tricolor
- noun
- Specialized
:
Viola tricolor
- The delicate petals of the Viola tricolor add vibrant color to spring gardens.
Examples
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Many cultivated pansies were originally bred from Viola tricolor.
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Researchers study the medicinal properties of Viola tricolor in treating skin conditions.
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The Viola tricolor blooms beautifully in spring.
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Have you seen a Viola tricolor in the garden?
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The delicate petals of the Viola tricolor add vibrant color to spring gardens.
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Many cultivated pansies were originally bred from Viola tricolor.
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The Viola tricolor blooms beautifully in spring.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A common European wildflower with purple, yellow and white flowers that garden pansies come from
A small wildflower from Europe with three coloured petals
A small wild flower like a pansy with colorful petals
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'Viola' names the genus of flowering plants and 'tricolor' means 'three-coloured', so a learner who knows both components can infer a three‑coloured Viola (wild pansy). The Latin binomial pattern is widespread and compositional across languages, so the compound is transparently interpretable by learners who recognise the parts.
Etymology
Viola tricolor comes from Latin words: Viola meaning 'violet' and tricolor meaning 'three-coloured', giving a clear image of a small flower with three-coloured petals. That image explains its common names like 'wild pansy' and 'heartsease' and why many garden pansies were bred from it.