This native perennial has stout stems up to 12 inches tall; they hold heart-shaped leaves. The solitary flowers are on stalks branching from the leaf axils. Brown-purple “nectar lines” are found on the lower 3 of 5 bright yellow petals (A). The stems and leaves may be smooth or downy (pubescent) as seen in image (C), which also shows the purple tinges sometimes found on the flower petals. The fruit is a brown, elongated capsule framed by five green non-symmetrical bracts (D). Note that in addition to the lovely yellow flowers, this plant produces petal-less, self-pollinating flowers. These usually occur a bit later in the season, but produce similar seed capsules.