Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

periwinkle Apocynaceae Vinca minor L. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: VIMI2
Leaf: Opposite, evergreen, simple, elliptical to ovate, 1/2 to 1 inch long, entire, shiny dark green, paler mid-vein.
Flower: Attractive, most commonly bluish-purple, some cultivars white, 5 fused petals, 1 inch across, appearing spring.
Fruit: Inconspicuous, small (1 inch) brown, bean-like follicle.
Twig: Slender, green; small green buds; commonly root at the nodes.
Form: Prostrate, trailing, non-climbing vine; forms a dense mat along the ground.

leaf
twig
fruit
form1
map

Additional Range Information: Vinca minor is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information