Low plant with stems growing from tap root. Flowers early. Leaves alternate on flowering stems, many of the leaves adhering to the flowering stems below ground. Flowers are bright yellow, the lower petal with brown lines, the lateral petals with a single brown line in their centre. Lateral petals bearded. Spur is short, measured at 2-3 mm long. Leaves ovate with cordate or truncate bases. We measured the blades of two leaves, one was 4 cm long by 2 cm wide, the other 25 mm long and 24 mm wide. Plants glabrous.

Habitat is prairie grassland. Listed as fairly common  by Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Saskatchewan.

We measured plants to 6 cm tall.

This plant is very similar to another early-flowering violet - Viola nuttallii. According to The Flora of Canada the two can be distinguished by the shape of their leaves. The leaves of Viola vallicola are ovate, with cordate or truncate bases, and the leaves usually less than 3 times as long as wide. While the leaves of Viola nuttallii are lanceolate, with tapering bases, and usually at least 3 times as long as wide.

The above photos were taken on May 9th, grassy meadow, The Big Muddy, about 150 km south of our home in Regina, SK.