Vinca minor L. Myrtle, periwinkle, common periwinkle, creeping myrtle
Myrtle is a European native introduced to the United States in the 1700s, where it is used as an ornamental ground cover. It spreads quickly in some habitats and is sometimes considered an invasive. Identification: Myrtle is only 6" (15 cm) high, a vine with dark, glossy evergreen leaves. It prefers the partial shade of forest floors, where it forms a nearly continuous mat. Leaves are elliptic in shape, with smooth edges, about 1" (2.5 cm) long. The natural plant has five-petaled blue-purple flowers about ½-¾" (1.3-1.9 cm) across. Cultivars come in shades of reddish purple or white. From Britton, Nathaniel Lord, and Brown, Addison, An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions, 1913, p. Vol. 3, p. 20, courtesy of the USDA PLANTS database. Online References:
Vinca minor on www.carolinanature.com Vinca minor on Perry’s Perennial Pages Vinca minor on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants Vinca minor on Invasive.org, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health Vinca minor at the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Vinca minor and Vinca major on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database 4/13/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts 5/23/2009 · West Fork of Oak Creek Trail, Arizona 4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts
Vinca minor description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020. © FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved. |
5/4/2017 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 5/4/2017 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 5/11/2021 · Harpswell Historic Park, Harpswell Garden Club, Harpswell, Maine 3/23/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts 4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts 4/14/2010 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Massachusetts 4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts Range:
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