Flower:

Irregular 5-petaled blue to purple flower ¾ to 1 inch (to 26 mm) long at the end of a long naked stalk held above the leaves at peak bloom. Petals are white at the base, the 2 lateral petals with tufts of fine white hairs at the base (bearded). The lower petal has dark purple veins radiating from the center and forms a slightly elongated spur at the back, and is also bearded but more sparsely and the hairs more scattered. Sepals are lance-linear to narrowly triangular, pointed at the tip, and hairless.

Leaves and stems:

Leaves are all basal and form a rosette; color is green. Mature leaves are up to 3¼ inches (to 83 mm) long, usually at least 1.5 times long as wide, blunt at the tip. Early leaves are typically lance-elliptic to rounded triangular, with shallowly toothed edges and with or without small lobes at the base of the blade. Primary leaves are more arrowhead shaped, becoming erect, elongated and less regularly toothed, the basal lobes becoming more distinct and divided. Edges are often fringed with short hairs; surfaces are hairy or not, the lower surface may be purple-tinged. Leaf stalks are mostly hairless.

Fruit:

Both petalled (chasmogamous) and petal-less, self-pollinating (cleistogamous) flowers produce fruit, in an ovoid capsule up to about ½ inch (8 to 14 mm) long, initially green, erect when mature and drying tan or greenish-brown. Seeds are medium to dark brown, tinged pinkish or reddish, 1.2 to 1.8 mm long.

Notes:

A species of moist open woods, sandy open spaces and granite outcrops, Arrow-leaved Violet can respond quickly from the seed bank following a fire. Populations diminish as other successional plants re-establish and the seed bank once more waits for another fire event. It is most easily distinguished from other violets by the shape of the leaves; early and young leaves tend to be triangular in outline, elongating and developing the basal lobing or toothing with age.