Photographer:
William S. Justice Source:
Smithsonian Institution, Dept. of Systematic Biology, Botany
Description:Periwinkle is a creeping perennial
evergreen vine in the dogbane family
(Apocynaceae) that can reach up to 6-8 inches in
height. Long creeping stems commonly root at
nodes and form mats. Leaves are simple, opposite,
shiny, 2 inches long and taper at both ends. Blue-
violet flowers are composed of five fused petals
and can be found blooming in early spring and
sometimes in summer and fall. Fruits are
inconspicuous, brown, and beanlike.
History:Introduced from Europe in 1700s. Ornamental ground cover, commonly sold and planted by gardeners.
Biology & Spread:Periwinkle reproduces by root expansion and rooting where nodes touch the ground.
Ecological Threat:Common periwinkle poses a threat to native plants and communities because it grows vigorously, forming a dense monotypic evergreen groundcover that displaces and excludes most other plants, including native wildflowers.
US Habitat:
Found around old homesite plantings and scattered in open to dense canopied forests. Form mats and extensive infestations even under forest canopies by vines rooting at nodes, with viability of seeds yet to be reported.
Distribution
US Nativity:
Introduced to U.S.
Native Origin:
Europe, W. Asia (Alfred Rehder, Manual of Cultivated Trees and Shrubs: Hardy in North America, The MacMillan Co., New York (1967)); NatureServe Explorer
US States:
AL, AR, AZ, CT, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV
EDDMapS: View Texas Map from Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System for
Vinca minor
Resembles/Alternatives:Mitchella repens L., which has cordate leaves, white twin flowers, and red berries. Also, may resemble yellow jasmine, Gelsemium sempervirens (L.) St. Hil., which has wider spaced leaves and reddish stems, often white waxy.
Other alternatives include crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), wild ginger (Asarum canadense), lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina), evergreen wood fern (Dryopteris marginalis or intermedia), partridgeberry (Mitchella repens), creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera), New York fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis), foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia).
Management:Periwinkle can be removed by digging, raising the runners with a rake, and mowing the plants. All of the plant must be removed. It can also be controlled by cutting the plants in the spring followed by applying a glyphosate herbicide to the regrowth.
USE PESTICIDES WISELY: ALWAYS READ THE ENTIRE PESTICIDE
LABEL CAREFULLY, FOLLOW ALL MIXING AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND WEAR
ALL RECOMMENDED PERSONAL PROTECTIVE GEAR AND CLOTHING. CONTACT YOUR STATE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR ANY ADDITIONAL PESTICIDE USE REQUIREMENTS,
RESTRICTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS. MENTION OF PESTICIDE PRODUCTS
ON THIS WEB SITE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE ENDORSEMENT OF ANY MATERIAL.
Listing Source
Texas Department ofAgriculture Noxious Plant List
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Prohibited Exotic Species
Invaders Program
Federal Noxious Weed
Union of Concerned Scientists
United States Forest Service Southern Research Station
www.forestimages.org, http://plants.usda.gov, www.nps.gov/plants/alien,
Czarapata, Elizabeth J. Invasive Plants of the Upper Midwest, An Illustrated Guide to their Identification and Control, 2005 p. 98-99,
www.invasive.org, http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/biology/plants/Pages/vinca_minor.htm
Data Source
Miller, J.H. 2003. Nonnative invasive plants of southern forests: a field guide for identification and control. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-62. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 93 pp (USDA SRS).
