Vinca major

Greater Periwinkle (Vinca major)

The Large Periwinkle ( Vinca major ) is a species of the genus Periwinkle ( Vinca ) from the family of the dogbane family ( Apocynaceae ).

Features

The Great periwinkle is an evergreen, perennial shrub with a stem axis that creeps on the ground and roots at the nodes. The branches are up to 1 meter long, they are the only reason ascending and bent down later, prostrate and creeping. The flowering shoots reach ascending a height of 30 centimeters.

The oppositely arranged leaves are constantly leathery and stalked. They measure up to 9 inches in length and 6 inches in width, the lower leaves are usually smaller. They are ovate in general to broadly ovate shaped, rarely lanceolate. At the base they are almost heart-shaped, narrowing towards the front. Furthermore, the leaves ciliate at the edge and clearly pinnately.

The solitary in the upper leaf axils, long-stemmed flowers are fünfzählig. The flower stalks are shorter than the corresponding leaves. The permanent calyx is short funnel-shaped, he has narrowly triangular, at the edge of dense gewimperte, to 17 mm long tip on. The präsentiertellerförmige, light blue or violet ( rarely white ) corolla measures up to 50 millimeters in diameter. The tube is short and widens uniformly funnel-shaped. The corolla lobes are cut front and crooked, overlapping in bud to the left. There is only one circuit available with five stamens, which are firmly attached to the stamens to the corolla tube. The link between the anthers is broadened and hairy. The ovary is upper constant and zweifächerig. The pens are short and on the tip thickened with five hanging tufts of hair. The fruit consists of two dry, often of different sizes, connected at the base Balgfrüchten. The seeds are bumpy, rough and bare.

Bloom time is from March to May sometimes additionally in the fall.

Occurrence

The natural range is the western and central Mediterranean. This species is naturalized in many places.

The Great evergreen grows in shady places, in forests, in moist thickets and hedges, and along streams. It is rare.

Documents

• Gunter Steinbach (ed.): shrub shrubs ( Steinbach nature guide ). Mosaik Verlag GmbH, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-576-10560-3.