E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Vinca minor L.
common periwinkle
Apocynaceae (Dogbane family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Vinca minor
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Trailing perennial herb, freely rooting; stems spreading, 10-60 cm long, branching.

Leaves:
Opposite, egg-shaped to egg-shaped-lanceolate, narrowed at the base, 3-9 cm long.

Flowers:
Solitary, bluish-purple, usually 20-30 mm wide, 1 per stem, calyx lobes glabrous.

Fruits:
Long cylindric pods without tufted hairs, 3-5 cm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Blue

Blooming Period:
Early Summer

Source: The USDA

Key to the Species and Taxonomic Notes

1. Flowers usually 20-30 mm wide, usually solitary; calyx lobes glabrous; leaves narrowed at the base................ V. minor

1. Flowers usually 30-50 mm wide, up to 4 per stem; calyx lobes ciliate; leaves squared-off or somewhat heart-shaped at the base........................ V. major

Habitat / Range

Roadsides and waste places in the lowland zone; infrequent in SW BC, known from SE Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and lower mainland; introduced from Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Additional Notes

This species is listed are one of the twelve most problematics species in the Vancouver Region by the Greater Vancouver Invasive Plant Council. For further information, visit their web site.

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Exotic	SNA (2019)	Exotic	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

UBC Herbarium Scanned Collection Record
Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-11-07 4:13:49 PM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.