Viola decumbens

Viola decumbens, a small and shy perennial, grows on fynbos slopes of the sandstone mountain ranges in parts of the Western Cape. The plant scrambles in the undergrowth or forms soft cushion-like leafy masses.

The lower petal on this flower seen in Bainskloof, is its smallest, lined dark blue; the others are nearly white. Blue and shades of purple are also among the flower colours of this species.

The spidery appearance of the red-spotted sepals on the second flower in the photo is only caused by the discard of its corolla; it did not morph into an arachnid (Manning, 2007; Privett and Lutzeyer, 2010; JSTOR; iSpot).