Lesser periwinkle

Vinca minor

"Vinca minor" is a species of flowering plant native to central and southern Europe, from Portugal and France north to the Netherlands and the Baltic States, east to the Caucasus, and also southwestern Asia in Turkey.
Lesser periwinkle - Vinca minor Apocynaceae,Bulgaria,Dwarf periwinkle,Eudicot,Flowering Plant,Gentianales,Geotagged,Lesser periwinkle,Magnoliophyta,Nature,Plantae,Spring,Vinca minor,Wildlife

Appearance

"Vinca minor" is a trailing, viny subshrub, spreading along the ground and rooting along the stems to form large clonal colonies and occasionally scrambling up to 40 centimetres high but never twining or climbing. The leaves are evergreen, opposite, 2–4.5 centimetres long and 1–2.5 centimetres broad, glossy dark green with a leathery texture and an entire margin.

The flowers are solitary in the leaf axils and are produced mainly from early spring to mid summer but with a few flowers still produced into the autumn; they are violet-purple, 2–3 centimetres diameter, with a five-lobed corolla. The fruit is a pair of follicles 2.5 centimetres long, containing numerous seeds.

The closely related species "Vinca major" is similar, but larger in all parts, and also has relatively broader leaves with a hairy margin.
Periwinkle - Vinca minor A low, evergreen plant with purple flowers. Flowers have 5 petals with a white star shape in the center. Habitat: Deciduous forest https://www.jungledragon.com/image/95201/periwinkle_-_vinca_minor.html Geotagged,Lesser periwinkle,Spring,United States,Vinca minor

Naming

Other vernacular names used in cultivation include small periwinkle, common periwinkle, and sometimes in the United States, myrtle or creeping myrtle, although this is misleading, as the name myrtle normally refers to the "Myrtus" species.

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