Vinca major L.
periwinkle
Stems glabrous, long and partly trailing or running and rooting at nodes, with terminal part often ascending, forming dense mats often covering many square metres. Petiole (5)-7-20 mm long; margins hirsute. Lamina (3)-4-10 × (1.8)-2.5-7 cm, ovate, usually dark glossy green above, rarely variegated white and green; midrib hairy above; margins ciliate; base mostly rounded or subcordate, sometimes truncate or broad-cuneate; apex obtuse or acute. Pedicels 2.5-4 cm long, slender. Calyx 0.9-1.7 cm long; lobes linear-subulate, ciliate, glandular towards base. Corolla tube c. 1.5 cm long; limb (3)-3.5-5 cm diam., mauvish blue; lobes obliquely obovate; apex truncate or obtuse. Anthers slightly wider than long. Follicles 3.5-5 cm long, the apical part very narrow and pointed, constricted between seeds. Seeds 7-8 mm long, oblong, strongly corrugated; margins inrolled.
N.; S.; St.; Ch.: a widespread escape from cultivation naturalised in all districts.
W. and C. Mediterranean 1870
Waste places, particularly in the shade of trees and shrubs by riverbanks, roadsides, cemeteries and around gardens.
FL Jan-Dec.
Periwinkle can be troublesome in gardens because the long shoots run over the ground and root at the nodes. Its dense mat-like habit makes it a useful groundcover. The cv. 'Variegata' with cream or whitish lf margins has also escaped in a few localities.
