Viola beati, a hitherto unknown species of V. sect. Andinium (Violaceae) is described and illustrated. It is an inconspicuous, diminutive, perennial forb currently known from only one locality in NW Argentina. We draw attention to its morphology, ecology, rarity and endemism. The differences between V. beati and its apparently only close relative, V. singularis J. M. Watson & A. R. Flores, are defined.