Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Gentianales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Vinca major
FAMILY
Apocynaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Vinca at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Vinca major
FAMILY
Apocynaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Vinca major
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Vinca major
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 156-04-002:
Vinca major FAMILY Apocynaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Vinca major
COMMON NAME:
Bigleaf Periwinkle, Greater Periwinkle
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_v_major_periwinkle
February
)
Gill Newberry gn03_v_major_flower
March
)
Gill Newberry gn03_v_major_plant
March
Peduncles 2-4cm long. Calyx lobes 6-12mm long and ciliate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Gill Newberry gn04_periwinkle_2
April
)
)
JK Marlow jkm0404w_04
April Pickens County SC
SC Botanical Garden
Leaves membranous, triangular-ovate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm180408_1093
April McCormick County SC
Parks Mill
Leaves ciliate (vs. those of V. minor are not), per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Gill Newberry gn05_v_major_habitat
May
Leaves ovate, broadest near base, deciduous to semi-evergreen; margins ciliate, per Weakley's Flora.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Vinca major
FAMILY
Apocynaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Vinca major
FAMILY
Apocynaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Vinca major
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Vinca major
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 156-04-002:
Vinca major
FAMILY
Apocynaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Vinca major
1638
Herbaceous vine (trailing); Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Disturbed areas, suburban woodlands, around old house sites, persistent and spreading from cultivation, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe
Uncommon
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council, 2012
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- SC Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2014
- SC Native Plant Society
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2009
- US Forest Service Southern Research Station
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2014
DOES THE PLANT HAVE "MILKY SAP"?
Has milky sap (latex)
LEAVES:
Deciduous or Semi-evergreen
Simple
Opposite
FLOWER:
Spring
Blue-violet
Radially symmetrical
5-merous
5-lobed salverform corolla
5 stamens
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer
Paired follicles
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010) p076
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p121
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p189
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p225
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p375
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p127
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".