Vinca major L.

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Vinca major

Photo: Bart Wursten
Pine Tree Inn, Juliasdale

Vinca major

Photo: Bart Wursten
Pine Tree Inn, Juliasdale

Vinca major

Photo: Bart Wursten
Pine Tree Inn, Juliasdale

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:
Common names: Bigleaf periwinkle (English) Blue periwinkle (English) Greater periwinkle (English) Large periwinkle (English)
Frequency:
Status: Introduced, cultivated and a rare escape
Description:
Evergreen, prostrate, creeping perennial herb, often forming large ground covering patches. Stems up to 5 m long, rooting at the nodes. Leaves opposite, very broadly elliptic-ovate, 3-9 cm long; narrower lanceolate and shorter near the ends of the branches, glossy dark green and leathery; margin entire but ciliate with a fringe of hairs; petiole 1-2 cm long. Flowers solitary, axillary. corolla 5-lobed, mauve-blue to purple, 3-5 cm in diameter.
Notes: Similar to Vinca minor. That species is generally smaller in all aspects including flowers and is completely hairless. Leaves of V. major are broader with a fringe of hairs around the margin.
Derivation of specific name: major: the larger.
Habitat: Planted in gardens, particularly as a ground cover in flower beds.
Altitude range: (metres)
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution: Native to the western Mediterranean.
Zimbabwe distribution: C,E
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters: Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated: Monday 14 January 2019
Literature:

Other sources of information about Vinca major:

Our websites:

Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Vinca major

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Vinca major
African Plant Database: Vinca major
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Vinca major
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Vinca major
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Vinca major
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Vinca major
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Vinca major
JSTOR Plant Science: Vinca major
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Vinca major
Plants of the World Online: Vinca major
Tropicos: Vinca major
Wikipedia: Vinca major


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Species information: Vinca major.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=165010, retrieved 19 March 2024

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