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Vinca minor L.

Myrtle, periwinkle, common periwinkle, creeping myrtle

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassAsteridaeA large class that encompasses asters
OrderGentianalesGentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others
FamilyApocynaceaeDogbane family
GenusVincaFrom Latin vincio, “to bind,” a reference to the shoots
Speciesminor“Smaller”

About plant names...

Myrtle is a European native introduced to the United States in the 1700s, where it is used as an ornamental ground cover. It spreads quickly in some habitats and is sometimes considered an invasive.

Identification: Myrtle is only 6″ (15 cm) high, a vine with dark, glossy evergreen leaves. It prefers the partial shade of forest floors, where it forms a nearly continuous mat. Leaves are elliptic in shape, with smooth edges, about 1″ (2.5 cm) long. The natural plant has five-petaled blue-purple flowers about ½-¾″ (1.3-1.9 cm) across. Cultivars come in shades of reddish purple or white.

Vinca minor (myrtle, periwinkle, common periwinkle, creeping myrtle)

From Britton, Nathaniel Lord, and Brown, Addison, An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions, 1913, p. Vol. 3, p. 20, courtesy of the USDA PLANTS database.

Online References:

Www.carolinanature.com

Perry’s Perennial Pages

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Invasive.org, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health

The USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry Northeastern Area

The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database (Vinca minor and Vinca major)

Vinca minor (myrtle, periwinkle, common periwinkle, creeping myrtle)

4/13/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm)

Vinca minor (myrtle, periwinkle, common periwinkle, creeping myrtle)

5/23/2009 · West Fork of Oak Creek Trail, Ari­zona · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)

Vinca minor (myrtle, periwinkle, common periwinkle, creeping myrtle)

4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm)

 

Vinca minor description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.


 

Vinca minor (myrtle, periwinkle, common periwinkle, creeping myrtle)

5/4/2017 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

Vinca minor (myrtle, periwinkle, common periwinkle, creeping myrtle)

5/4/2017 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)

Vinca minor (myrtle, periwinkle, common periwinkle, creeping myrtle)

5/11/2021 · Harpswell Historic Park, Harpswell Garden Club, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

Vinca minor (myrtle, periwinkle, common periwinkle, creeping myrtle)

3/23/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm)

Vinca minor (myrtle, periwinkle, common periwinkle, creeping myrtle)

4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm)

Vinca minor (myrtle, periwinkle, common periwinkle, creeping myrtle)

4/14/2010 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm)

Vinca minor (myrtle, periwinkle, common periwinkle, creeping myrtle)

4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm)

Range:

About this map...