Perennial; rhizome more or less vertical, stout, bearing leaves and stems at apex. Stems up to 24 cm, rather slender, rooting at nodes with leaves and flowers along their length. Leaves 0.4-1.4 by 0.6-1.8 cm, ovate, rather deeply cordate at base with rounded basal lobes, acute to subobtuse, more or less repandate to undulate-serrate, glabrous or sparsely pubescent on veins above and sparsely ciliate, rather coriaceous, dark green and often purple-tinged; petiole ½-4 cm. Stipules 3-4 by c. 1 mm, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, subentire to sparsely fimbriate, sometimes glanduliferous, glabrous, fuscous. Flowers (excluding spur) 8-13 mm, pale violet to white with violet centre; peduncle 4-14 cm, glabrous. Sepals 3-6 by c. 1 mm, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, acute, sparsely fimbrio-dentate; appendage c. ½ mm, rounded, glabrous. Petals 2-3 times as long as broad; basal obovate, slightly shorter than others; laterals oblanceolate to obovate, usually not bearded; spur (3-)4-9 mm, cylindrical, straight or slightly upcurved, obtuse. Style 2½-3mm, geniculate at base, slightly curved, filiform; stigma simple, more or less indistinctly cupuliform. Capsule 7-9 mm, oblong-ellipsoid, glabrous. Chromosome number 2n = 48.
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