Vinca
Appearance
Vinca | |
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Giant Steps Periwinkle (Vinca major) plant | |
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Genus: | Vinca |
Species | |
Vinca balcanica |
Vinca (from Latin vincire "to bind, fetter") is a genus of five species in the family Apocynaceae, that grows in Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia. The common name, shared with the related genus Catharanthus, is Periwinkle.
They are subshrubs or herbaceous, and have slender stems 1–2 m (3–6 feet) long but not growing more than 20–70 cm (8-30 inches) above ground; the stems frequently take root where they touch the ground, so the plant can spread widely
References
- Blamey, M., & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. Hodder & Stoughton.
- Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening 4: 664-665. Macmillan.
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Vinca minor (above), Vinca major (below); leaves for comparison
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Vinca minor (above), Vinca major (below); leaf margins for comparison; note hairless margin of V. minor, hairy margin of V. major
Other websites
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vinca.
- Flora Europaea: Vinca
- Virtual Flowers Vinca Archived 2007-08-30 at the Wayback Machine