Periwinkle

Periwinkle (Vinca), a genus of plants of the natural order Apocynaceæ, having a 5-cleft calyx, and a salver-shaped corolla bearded at the throat, with five obliquely truncated segments. The leaves are opposite and evergreen; the flowers grow singly or in pairs from the axils of the leaves. The Lesser Periwinkle (V. minor), a native of many parts of Europe and of the southern parts of Britain, growing in woods and thickets, is a half-shrubby plant with trailing stems, rooting at their extremities, ovato-lanceolate leaves, and pale-blue—sometimes white or reddish-purple—salver-shaped flowers. The Greater Periwinkle (V. major), which has much larger flowers and ovato-cordate leaves, is a native of the south of Europe, and is found in a few places in the south of England. Both of these species are very commonly planted in shrubberies and gardens, rapidly cover unsightly objects with pleasing green foliage, and produce their beautiful flowers at almost all seasons of the year, even in winter when the weather is mild. The Herbaceous Periwinkle (V. herbacea), a Hungarian species, is remarkable for the abundance of its flowers. The Yellow Periwinkle (V. lutea) is a native of the southern parts of North America. The Rose-coloured Periwinkle (V. rosea), a native of Madagascar, is a favourite hothouse plant.