| common periwinkle |
USDA PLANTS Symbol: VIMI2 USDA ARS GRIN: 41680 ITIS: 30238 NAPIS: PAIACBB |
| Vinca minor L. | |
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Taxonomic Rank: Magnoliopsida: Gentianales: Apocynaceae |
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| Synonym(s): lesser periwinkle, myrtle | |
Common periwinkle, a common invader throughout most of the United States, is an evergreen to semi-evergreen, trailing vine that reaches up to 6.6 ft. (2 m) in length. Vines can reach a height of 6 in. (15.2 cm). The stems are slender, somewhat woody, and green in color. The opposite, glossy leaves are approximately 1 in. (2.5 cm) long and narrowly elliptical in shape. Some varieties have variegated leaf colors. Flowers are violet to blue (possibly white) in color, 1 in. (2.5 cm) wide, 5-petaled and develop in the spring. Common periwinkle invades open to shady forests often around former plantings at old homesites. It forms dense and extensive mats along forest floors that exclude native vegetation. It is native to Europe and was first introduced into North America in the 1700s as an ornamental. It is still commonly sold as an ornamental ground cover. |
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Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
- Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests - USDA Forest Service
- Fact Sheet - Pennsylvania Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources
| Selected Images from Invasive.org | View All Images at Invasive.org |
 Plant(s); Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); in flower Dan Tenaglia, Missouriplants.com, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); Dan Tenaglia, Missouriplants.com, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Feature(s); Calyx Dan Tenaglia, Missouriplants.com, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); in flower Richard Old, XID Services, Inc., Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); in flower Jil M. Swearingen, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Seed(s); Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Diagram or Graphic; Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 3: 20. USDA PLANTS Database, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
Taxonomic References:
- USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1, National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Invasive Listing Sources:
- Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
- Delaware Natural Resources and Environmental Control, 2004
- Faith Campbell, 1998. Plants that Hog the Garden: Invasive Plants in the United States. Fine Gardening Online
- Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns, Eds. 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.
- Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society
- Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
- John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
- Maryland Cooperative Extension Service. 2003. Invasive Plant Control in Maryland. Home and Garden Information Center, Home and Garden Mimeo HG88. 4 pp.
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 1994
- Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2005
- Native Plant Society of Oregon, 2002
- New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry, 2004
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 1998
- Pacific Northwest Exotic Pest Plant Council, 1998
- Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, Pennsylvania.
- Reichard, Sarah. 1994. Assessing the potential of invasiveness in woody plants introduced in North America. University of Washington Ph.D. dissertation.
- Rhode Island Natural History Society,
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 1999.
- WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council Category 2
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council Significant Threat
- South Carolina Exotic Pest Plant Council Severe Threat
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council Significant Threat
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