Viola forrestiana W. Becker

Herbs perennial, acaulescent, 5-12 cm tall. Rhizome erect, short; roots blackish, long, slender, smooth. Leaves basal, numerous; stipules mostly adnate to petioles, slightly white, lanceolate, conspicuous, ca. 1.5 cm, membranous; petiole 2-7 cm, glabrous; leaf blade triangular-ovate or narrowly ovate, 3-5.5 × 2-3.5 cm, abaxially glabrous, adaxially puberulous, base shallowly cordate or sometimes subtruncate, margin irregularly emarginate-crenate or acutely lobed below middle, lobes oblong and crenate, apex acute. Flowers purple or purplish; pedicels usually exceeding or subequaling leaves, sparsely puberulous, 2-bracteolate near middle; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 5-8 mm. Sepals lanceolate, ca. 5 mm, basal auricles ca. 2 mm, margin membranous, apex acute. Petals oblong-obovate, upper ones 1.2-1.4 cm, lateral ones subequaling upper ones, distinctly bearded, spur of anterior petal large, to 6 mm, stout, to 4 mm in diam., slightly curved, apex thickened. Ovary glabrous; styles clavate, slightly thickened upward; stigmas narrowly margined on lateral sides and abaxially, flat in central part, shortly beaked in front, beak subhorizontal. Capsule globose. Fl. Mar-May, fr. Jun-Sep.

Sichuan, SE Xizang.

● Grasslands on mountain slopes, streamsides, riversides; 2200-4000 m.