Also, plants that are not eaten by native insects are failing to fulfill a role in the ecosystem by not feeding insects that in turn become food for birds. Vigorous growth and lack of pests are traditionally considered good qualities in garden plants, but experienced gardeners know that plants that are difficult to control present their own set of problems. Also, wintercreeper frequently climbs up trees, fences, and other structures, using aerial rootlets that cling to surfaces, while common periwinkle rarely climbs.Ĭommon periwinkle remains available very commonly in the horticultural trade, but it is not recommended for planting in Missouri.
Because of its potentially invasive nature, its cultivation is discouraged.Ĭommon periwinkle might be confused with wintercreeper ( Euonymus fortunei), but the leaves in that species have blunt teeth along the margins and the flowers have small, yellowish-white flowers. Greater periwinkle has long been known to become invasive in rich, forested habitats in other parts of the eastern and midwestern United States. It is distinguished by its larger flowers (1–1½ inches wide) and more robust growth habit with more ascending flowering branches, but the leaves, which are wider and have hairy margins, are not as leathery and tend to drop or be damaged by very cold weather.
It could be found growing in bottomland forests, rich upland forests, abandoned homesites, or cemeteries. Similar species: A close relative, greater periwinkle ( Vinca major), is another nonnative plant cultivated as an ornamental groundcover, and it has been recorded as escaping from cultivation in our state. The fruits are dry capsule that splits on 2 sides these would mature in late summer and fall, but fortunately, in North America this species almost never develops mature fruits. The flowers emerge from the leaf axils of new stems lilac to blue, 1 inch across, phlox-shaped, the petals fused at the base into a narrow tube, with the 5 lobes spreading out in a flattened, circular pattern, the tips ending abruptly as if cut off. The leaves are opposite, simple, evergreen, ½–1½ inches long, ½–¾ inch wide, egg-shaped to equally rounded toward the ends, the tip blunt to pointed, the base rounded or heart-shaped, the margin entire (lacking teeth) upper surface dark green, shiny, smooth, the central vein light green the lower surface paler, smooth leaves at the end of twigs often in clusters of 3 or 4, the leaf stalk ½–1¼ inches long, exuding a milky sap when broken. Although not as invasive as Japanese honeysuckle and wintercreeper, it is relatively aggressive and can cover large areas, degrading native landscapes. Often grown as a groundcover, it has proven invasive in much of the eastern United States.
It spreads by underground runners or by its vine-like stems that take root at the nodes.Ĭommon periwinkle is native to Europe and western Asia. Common periwinkle, Vinca minor, is a low-growing, prostrate, mat-forming, vine-like perennial herb with green, shiny, smooth stems that are woody at the base.
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