Vinca herbacea

Taxobox
name = "Vinca herbacea"

---

image_width = 240px
image_caption = "Vinca herbacea" leaves and flowers
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Gentianales
familia = Apocynaceae
genus = "Vinca"
species = "V. herbacea"
binomial = "Vinca herbacea"
binomial_authority = Waldst. & Kit.

"Vinca herbacea" (Herbaceous Periwinkle) is a flowering plant native to eastern and southeastern Europe, from Austria south to Greece, and east to the Crimea, and also in southwestern Asia east to the Caucasus and Alborz mountains. It grows mainly in steppe habitats.

It is a herbaceous perennial growing as a trailing vine, spreading along the ground and rooting along the stems to form clonal colonies, growing up to 10-20 cm high. The leaves are opposite, lanceolate, 1-5 cm long and 0.2-3 cm broad, glossy green with an entire margin, and nearly sessile with only a very short petiole. The flowers are produced in late summer, blue-violet or occasionally white, 2.5-3.5 cm diameter, with a five-lobed corolla.

Cultivation and uses

It is occasionally grown in temperate gardens as a rock garden plant.

References

* [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Vinca&SPECIES_XREF=herbacea&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= Flora Europaea: "Vinca herbacea"]
* [http://web.kadel.cz/flora/e/kvCard.asp-Id=4888.htm Rock garden plants: "Vinca herbacea"]
* [http://www.hlasek.com/vinca_herbacea_8400.html Photo]
*Huxley, A., ed. (1992). "New RHS Dictionary of Gardening" 4: 664-665. Macmillan.