Lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor, L. 1753)

Identity

Lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor L., 1753), also known as small periwinkle or dwarf periwinkle, is a perennial in the genus Vinca, family Apocynaceae. Native to central and southern Europe east to the Caucasus, it is now grown far beyond that range, including North America and New Zealand. Widespread naturalization has made it an invasive woodland plant in parts of its introduced range. ^{1 6}

The name Vinca may come from Latin vincire, “to bind,” referring to pliable stems once woven into wreaths. Another proposed origin is vincere, “to prevail,” describing evergreen foliage that persists through winter while nearby deciduous perennials rest. The French name pervenche derives from late Latin pervinca, probably a shortened form of the same root. ⁸

North American gardeners also use creeping myrtle, myrtle and common periwinkle. The myrtle names can be misleading: true myrtle (Myrtus communis) belongs to the Myrtaceae and has no close botanical relationship to lesser periwinkle. ⁶

Recognition

Trailing, woody-based shoots make lesser periwinkle a creeping subshrub. Each stem roots wherever it touches soil, gradually closing into a dense carpet through natural layering. It rarely exceeds 40 cm (16 in) in height and never twines or climbs around a support as a true vine would. ⁶

Opposite, glossy dark green leaves measure 2–4.5 cm (0.8–1.8 in) long and 1–2.5 cm (0.4–1 in) wide. Their edges are entire and smooth. This detail separates the species from Vinca major, whose broader leaves have clearly visible hairs along the margins. ⁶

Solitary flowers open in the leaf axils mainly from early spring to midsummer, with occasional blooms continuing into fall. Usually blue-violet, but white or pale in some garden selections, they measure 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) across and have five asymmetrical corolla lobes. The fruit consists of paired follicles about 2.5 cm (1 in) long, containing many small seeds. ⁶

Useful taxonomy

For lesser periwinkle, POWO accepts Vinca minor L., published by Linnaeus in 1753. It belongs to the Apocynaceae family within the order Gentianales, providing a stable scientific identity behind several overlapping common names. ¹

“Periwinkle” and “vinca” can refer to quite different plants. Greater periwinkle (Vinca major) belongs to the same genus but is larger throughout, with broad, hairy-edged leaves. Catharanthus roseus, often sold as “annual vinca,” belongs to another genus entirely. Its alkaloids, rather than those of lesser periwinkle, supplied the chemotherapy drugs vinblastine and vincristine. ⁶

Habitat and range

Central and southern Europe form the core native range, stretching from Portugal and France north to the Netherlands and Baltic countries, east to the Caucasus, and into southwestern Turkey. This geographical range is distinct from the much broader area where the plant has been introduced for gardens. ⁶

Within France, lesser periwinkle is native and common in deciduous woods, hedges and parks up to 1,300 m (4,300 ft) elevation. The INPN gives it a national Red List status of Least Concern (LC); this describes its French conservation status. ⁷

North American introductions have formed dense carpets that suppress native woodland herbs. The evergreen cover that helps protect European woodland soils from erosion can become problematic elsewhere. Several wooded U.S. states consider it an invasive plant of the forest floor. ⁶

European woodland colonies can also offer an archaeological clue. A carpet of lesser periwinkle often marks a former inhabited or cultivated site, sometimes abandoned centuries ago, surviving long after other visible traces have disappeared. ⁹

Life cycle and reproduction

Spring and summer bring the main flowering period, followed by scattered flowers into fall where the climate permits. After pollination, paired elongated follicles release numerous small seeds. Nevertheless, vegetative spread remains the dominant means of expansion both in the wild and in gardens. ⁶

Nodes on creeping stems root naturally on contact with the ground, establishing in 2–4 weeks. This layering allows a colony to expand without assistance. Healthy soil and suitable light can produce a closed carpet within 2–3 growing seasons; compact, excessively lime-rich soil slows establishment and causes patches of yellow foliage. To preserve a particular cultivar, gardeners generally use division of established clumps or stem cuttings in late summer. ⁴

Uses and risks

Evergreen ground cover is the principal garden use of lesser periwinkle. It clothes banks, covers shady woodland ground and shelters spring bulbs beneath foliage that remains present throughout the year, making it useful where seasonal gaps would otherwise leave bare soil. ³

More than fifty indole alkaloids occur in the plant. Vincamine makes up about 10% of the total and is used in adult medicine as a cerebral vasodilator. PFAF warns that large quantities of the plant are toxic when swallowed, causing digestive disturbances. ⁴

Severe poisoning in pets is reported rarely because bitter foliage discourages large intakes. Reported cases generally involve vomiting and a slight drop in blood pressure, with effects lasting only a few hours. This moderate toxicity differs from the potent cytotoxic action of the dimeric alkaloids vinblastine and vincristine in Catharanthus roseus, used in chemotherapy rather than for vincamine's vasodilator role. ⁶

Varieties, look-alikes and related plants

RHS Award of Garden Merit selections include Argenteovariegata, with cream-white leaf margins; Atropurpurea, with dark purple flowers; Azurea Flore Pleno, with double blue blooms; Bowles's Variety, with vivid blue-violet flowers; and Ralph Shugert, with variegated foliage. These selections offer different combinations of leaf pattern and flower color. ²

Greater periwinkle (Vinca major) is the closest look-alike, with much larger leaves and flowers and hairs along the leaf margins that lesser periwinkle lacks. A second source of confusion is the bedding plant Catharanthus roseus, sold under the name “annual vinca.” Checking the scientific name distinguishes the trailing perennial Vinca minor, with moderate toxicity, from the bedding annual with cytotoxic alkaloids. ⁶

Main sources

• Plants of the World Online / Kew, Vinca minor L.
• Royal Horticultural Society, Vinca minor
• Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Vinca minor
• Plants For A Future, Vinca minor - Lesser Periwinkle
• NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, Vinca minor
• Wikipedia (EN), Vinca minor
• INPN / MNHN, Vinca minor L., 1753, lesser periwinkle
• Monaco Nature Encyclopedia, Vinca minor
• Wikipedia (FR), lesser periwinkle