Viola riviniana

Perennial, low herb.

10–25 cm high.

The stem and petioles are typically glabrous or occasionally scarce-hispidulous. The rhizome is vertical.

The stem is foliate and the basal leaves form a rosette. The lamina is 2–4 cm wide, entire, broad-cordate or nearly reniform, pure green, thin and crenate. The leaves are stipulate. The stipules are often longer than 1 cm, linear-lanceolate, long-acuminate and fimbriate. The teeth are spreading, long and narrow.

The flowers are axillary, drooping and bisexual. The calyx and corolla are five-leaved. The flowers are zygomorphic. The size of the corolla is 1.4 – 2.5 cm. The petals are imbricate, broad, and blue with white base or rarely entirely white. The lowest petal has a saccate spur, which protects the spur-like appendage of the lowest stamen. The spur is short, thick, often upcurved and white or light violet, lighter than rest of the corolla. The appendages of calyx are large.

The fruit is a dehiscent capsule with three locules.