Exotic Vincas, Periwinkles

Plant: Evergreen (V. minor) or semi-evergreen (V. major) vines, opposite leaved, somewhat woody, trailing or scrambling or upright, to 3 ft (1 m) long and 1 ft (30 cm) tall, violet single flowers, forming mats and extensive infestations even under forest canopies, spreads by stolons.

Stem: Slender (V. minor) to stout (V. major), succulent becoming somewhat woody, tough to break, flowering branches erect, leaf axils joint stem, hairless and smooth, light green to dark green at base with reddish tinge.

Leaves: Opposite, evergreen to semi-evergreen and glossy and hairless, somewhat thick; Common periwinkle is narrow elliptic, 0.8-1.8 in (2-4.5 cm) long and 0.4-1 in (1-2.5 cm) wide, petioles 0.1 in (1-3 mm) long; Bigleaf periwinkle is cordate to somewhat triangular to elliptic, 1.5-2.5 in (4-6 cm) long and 1-1.5 in (2.5-4 cm), margins slightly rolled under, dark green with whitish mid- and lateral-veins above and lighter green with whitish mid-veins beneath, variegated varieties, petioles 0.2-0.4 in (5-10 mm) long.

Flowers: Apr-May (sporadically May-Sep). Axillary, usually solitary, violet to blue lavender (to white), 5-petals, pinwheel-shaped, radiating at right-angles from the floral