Flower:

Flowers are about ¾ inch across, 5 yellow petals with several purple or brownish lines on the lower petal; there may be 1 to a few lines on the other petals. The side petals are bearded with short hairs on the inside near the base. The flower is at the end of a stem that arises from a leaf axil. One plant has 1 to a few flowers.

Leaves and stem:

There are both basal leaves, and leaves alternately attached on the main stem. Basal leaves are broadly heart-shaped, to 3 inches wide and 2½ inches long, with coarse teeth or scalloped edges and hairy leaf stems about 3 inches long. The stem leaves are a little smaller, more elongated than broady heart-shaped. The underside of leaves are usually covered in short hairs but may be smooth. The main stem forks near the top, and may be smooth or hairy to varying degrees.

Fruit:

Fruit is an egg-shaped capsule about 1/3 inch long that turns brown with age. When ripe, the pod explodes, shooting the brown seed several feet from the plant.

Notes:

Violets can be hard to identify, but Downy Yellow Violet is pretty easy since it's the only yellow violet that's common in wooded areas during spring in Minnesota. Other yellow violets either do not grow in Minnesota or not in woods in the spring.