Johnny Jump Up Postcard

A digital rendering of Johnny Jump Up flowers. Johnny Jump Up (Viola tricolor), also known as heartsease, is a European wild flower quite common in Idaho. It is the progenitor of the cultivated pansy, and is sometimes called wild pansy. Appearance can vary widely; flowers can be purple, blue, yellow or white. They are hermaphrodite and self-fertile, pollinated by bees. Long before cultivated pansies were released into the trade in 1839, V. tricolor was associated with thought in the "language of flowers", often by its alternative name of pansy (from the French "pensée" - thought): hence Ophelia's often quoted line in Shakespeare's Hamlet, "There's pansies, that's for thoughts". What Shakespeare had in mind was V. tricolor, not a modern garden pansy. The plant has a long history in folk medicine. It has been recommended for respiratory problems such as bronchitis, asthma, whooping cough and cold symptoms, as well as epilepsy, asthma, skin diseases and eczema. It also has expectorant properties. There is limited scientific evidence to confirm the many traditional uses of heartsease. Early research suggests that heartsease may have anticancer and antimicrobial properties. The flowers have also been used to make yellow, green and blue-green dyes, while the leaves he leaves can be used in place of litmus paper in testing for acids and alkalis. Young leaves and flower buds - raw or cooked. When added to soup they thicken it in much the same way as okra. A tea can be made from the leaves. The small attractive flowers are added to salads or used as a garnish. There is limited scientific evidence to confirm the many traditional uses of heartsease. Early research suggests that heartsease may have anticancer and antimicrobial properties.