Field pansy plants are four to ten inches tall. They generally grow in groups, right in and among strawberry plants. Field pansy is a winter annual weed. This means that it is one of a class of plants which germinates in the late summer or fall, overwinters as a seedling or small plant, then continues growth in the spring. Winter annuals cannot withstand hot weather, and generally set seed and die as summer weather begins.
Winter annuals are problem weeds for strawberry growers for several reasons.
First, the lack of fall or spring tillage in strawberries means that the growth of winter annuals is not disturbed. Second, winter mulch provides protection for these weeds, and increases winter survival. And third, renovation does not affect winter annual weeds, as they have usually produced seed and died by the time renovation is performed. Flowering begins in May and continues through early June. Seed capsules are brown and split open in dry weather, throwing large numbers of small brown seeds some distance from the plant.