Since Dancing Geisha was introduced to the market by Terra Nova nursery the answer to your question possibly the answer lies with the folks there? Their web site only says it came from Japan. So maybe if you write Masashi Igari in Japan (aster@plantsindex.com) he can give you the answer.

Good Luck, and please keep us informed.
vicki

Following Vicki's suggestion I contacted Masashi Igari from Toyohashi, Japan who said "It is possibly a hybrization between Viola eizanensis or chaerophylloides and something. But this is only speculation. At least it is not Viola variegata, Viola koreana, Viola grypoceras" Oh well back to the drawing board

Whatever it is, it IS beautiful!

I have purchased seed under the name of koreana and variegata and they have turned out to be the same thing.

Quite right Clive - they are the same thing, at least in their variegated forms. The names are synonyms; V. koreana is still commonly used, but V. variegata is the 'correct' name.

To go back to rodr's quesiton:
V. gracilis is different to V. variegata. The only connection, I think, is the rejected synonym V. coreana H. Boissieu 1911 (and that's a 'c' not a 'k').

Lastly, note that not all forms of V. variegata have variegated leaves (this is similar in principle, for instance, to the fact that many plants of V. alba do not have white flowers).