Vinca herbacea

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Read about Vinca herbacea in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Vinca herbacea, Waldst. & Kit. Hardy trailing glabrous herb, which usually loses its lvs. in winter: lvs. elliptical or lanceolate, rather obtuse, margins revolute; petiole very short: fls. more purple than the other species; calyx-lobes narrowly lanceolate, acuminate; corolla-lobes obovate, oblong-obtuse. E. Eu., Asia Minor. B.M. 2002. B.R. 301. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

? Vinca herbacea
Vinca herbacea leaves and flowers
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Gentianales Family: Apocynaceae Genus: Vinca Species: V. herbacea
Binomial name
Vinca herbacea Waldst. & Kit.

Vinca herbacea (Herbaceous Periwinkle) is a flowering plant native to eastern and southeastern Europe, from Austria south to Greece, and east to the Crimea, and also in southwestern Asia east to the Caucasus and Alborz mountains. It grows mainly in steppe habitats.

It is a herbaceous perennial growing as a trailing vine, spreading along the ground and rooting along the stems to form clonal colonies, growing up to 10-20 cm high. The leaves are opposite, lanceolate, 1-5 cm long and 0.2-3 cm broad, glossy green with an entire margin, and nearly sessile with only a very short petiole. The flowers are produced in late summer, blue-violet or occasionally white, 2.5-3.5 cm diameter, with a five-lobed corolla.

Cultivation and uses

It is occasionally grown in temperate gardens as a rock garden plant.

References

• Flora Europaea: Vinca herbacea
• Rock garden plants: Vinca herbacea
• Photo
• Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening 4: 664-665. Macmillan.