Viola canina

Perennial herb.

8–40 cm high.

The stem is procumbent – ascending – erect, branched – simple, and foliate. There are no rosette leaves at the base of the stem.

The plant lacks a basal rosette. The lamina is ovate – narrow-cordate, obtuse or apiculate, glabrate, slightly lustrous, and shallow-crenate. The sinus at the base of the leaf is shallow. The leaves are stipulate. The stipules are narrow-ovate and sparse-toothed.

The flowers are axillary, drooping, bisexual and slightly zygomorphic. The calyx and corolla are five-leaved. The size of corolla is 0.7–2.5 cm. The petals are blue with white base or rarely entirely white. The lowest petal bears a saccate spur that protects the spur-like appendage of the two lowest stamens. The spur is greenish yellow-white.

The fruit is a trilocular capsule.