General:
Annual herb from a fibrous root, without stolons; stems prostrate to ascending, angled, often branched from the base, 10-30 cm tall/long.
Leaves:
Basal leaves few, soon deciduous; stem leaves rounded below, oblong to heart-shaped or elliptic upwards, toothed; stipules leaflike, 8-14 mm long, deeply lobed, the lobes 5-9, the terminal lobe largest.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of single, axillary flowers; petals 5, blue-violet with yellow bases, sometimes yellow, the lower petal 10-16 mm long including the 1- to 2-mm long spur, the lower 3 black-pencilled at the base; sepals 5, broadly lanceolate, with earlike lobes at the base, fringed; style heads smooth.
Fruits:
Capsules, smooth, egg-shaped, 5-8 mm long; seeds light brown.
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
viola tricolor subsp. tricolor L.