Viola purpurea

Plant: perennial herb; 4-22 cm tall. STEMS branched, clustered on short, vertical rootstalks, at first short, elongating or not later in season, erect to spreading or compressed, suberect in shade, depressed in sun, partly buried or not, usually pubescent Leaves: simple, basal and cauline, entire to toothed; basal leaves 1-5, the petioles 30-145 mm long, the blades 10-50 mm long, 10-35 mm wide, round, ovate or hemispheric, often quite succulent, the base tapered, truncate or cordate, the margins usually crenate to serrate with rounded lobes, or deeply dentate-serrate with 2-4 mm acute or acuminate teeth, the upper surface glabrous to puberulent, the lower puberulent, purplish; cauline leaf petioles 1-11 cm long, the blades shorter than on basal leaves, ovate, crenate, serrate or entire, usually puberulent, purplish especially below, the base truncate or tapered INFLORESCENCE: axillary; pedicels to 15.5 cm long Flowers: sepals to 9 mm long; petals yellow on the face, the lower 3 petals brown- to purple-veined, the upper 2 usually brownish-purple on back, the lateral 2 bearded, the lowest petal (including spur) to 15 mm long, the spur gibbous Fruit: FRUITS 5-12 mm long, puberulent; SEEDS ca. 15-20, usually ovoid, with a prominent caruncle REFERENCES: Little, R. John. Violaceae. 2001. J. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 33(1).