[1] It is a recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

The purple violet is a low-growing perennial herbaceous plant up to 20 cm (8 in) tall.

The leaves form a basal cluster; they are simple, up to 10 cm (4 in) broad, with an entire margin and a long petiole.

The fruit is a capsule 10–15 mm (3⁄8–5⁄8 in) long, which splits into three sections at maturity to release the numerous small seeds.

[6] The purple violet is also one of the official flowers of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.