Vinca (; from Latin vincire "to bind, fetter") is an Old World genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. The English name periwinkle is shared with the related genus Catharanthus (and with the mollusc Littorina littorea). Some Vinca species are cultivated but have also spread invasively. Additionally, some species have medicinal uses. The most widespread species is Vinca minor.
Description
Vinca difformis in habitat, Cáceres, Spain
Vinca plants are subshrubs or herbaceous, and have slender trailing stems
The flowers, produced through most of the growing season, are salverform (like those of Phlox), simple, 2.5–7 cm (1–3 in) broad, with five usually violet (occasionally white) petals joined together at the base to form a tube. The fruit consists of a pair of divergent follicles; the dry fruit dehisces along one rupture site to release seeds.
Species
Seven species are accepted:
Vinca difformis Pourr. – Azores, western and central Mediterranean
Vinca erecta Regel & Schmalh. – Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
Vinca herbacea Waldst. & Kit. – central, eastern and southeastern Europe; Middle East
Vinca ispartensis Koyuncu & Ekşi – Turkey
Vinca major L. – southern Europe, Turkey, Syria, Caucasus; introduced to and established in New Zealand, California, British Isles, central Europe, Poland, Ukraine, North Africa, south China, Canary Islands, Madeira, North America, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala
Vinca minor L. – central and southeastern Europe, Poland, Ukraine, Caucasus; introduced to and established in British Isles, Scandinavia, Portugal, Turkey, south China, North America, New Zealand
Vinca soneri Koyuncu – eastern Anatolia, Turkey
Distribution and habitat
The genus is native to Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia.
Ecology
Vinca major and Vinca minor may be invasive in some regions where they are introduced species because the rapid spreading chokes out native plant species and alters...
