sea pansy, fleshy, leaf-shaped colony of marine organisms belonging to the genus Renilla in the same phylum as the jellyfish. The colony consists of a stalk formed by a large organism called a primary polyp (see polyp and medusa) that is thrust into soft bottom material; the upper part of the stalk is composed of several kinds of secondary polyps. Sea pansies are handsome creatures; the reddish to purple upper stalk is studded with white polyps and is brilliantly luminescent. The colonies occur in the warmer regions of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Sea pansies are classified in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, order Pennatulacea.

pansy: see violet.

Any of several popular cultivated violets (genus Viola). Pansies have been grown for so long under such diverse conditions with such striking variations in colour and form that their origin is uncertain. Probably the garden pansy (V. wittrockiana) is a cultivated form of V. tricolor, a weed of European grainfields. Annuals or short-lived perennials, pansies grow 6–12 in. (15–30 cm) tall and have heart-shaped leaves at the base and oblong leaves growing from the stems. Velvety flowers occur in combinations of blue, yellow, and white. The smaller, usually purple, wild pansy is also known as Johnny-jump-up, heartsease, and love-in-idleness.

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