Recent work suggests that Fusispermum Cuatrec. and Rinorea Aubl. form small clades that are sister to the rest of the Violaceae and that the Goupiaceae is sister to the Violaceae. However, little is known about the morphology and anatomy of these phylogenetically critical groups. In this paper I present aspects of the morphology and anatomy of stem, node, leaf, flower, and seed of three species of Fusispermum and seven species of Rinorea, as well as Goupia glabra Aubl. (Goupiaceae), which is the outgroup. Placing this variation in the context of hypothesized phylogenetic relationships, I found Fusispermum to have unique pentalacunar nodes, heterogeneous pith, and elongated seeds, while Goupia Aubl. has a unique 5-carpellate gynoecium with marginal styles and a tegmen with U-shaped thickenings. Furthermore, variation in androecium and nectary links the distinctive androecium so common in the Violaceae with more conventional structures found in other taxa of the parietal placentation group of Malpighiales. Strengthening our basic knowledge of anatomy and morphology in these groups is an essential prerequisite for understanding the evolution and diversification not only of Violaceae but of Malpighiales as a whole.