Lesser Periwinkle - Vinca minor

A creeping plant that is a garden escape. The leaves are evergreen, opposite and simple, without hairy margins. The flowers are solitary coming from the axils of the leaves. The corolla has 5 spreading lobes. These lobes are asymmetrical, giving the appearance of fan blades. The flower colour is purple-blue or occasionally white.

Greater Periwinkle, Vinca major, is similar but larger and with more upright growth. They can be easily separated by examining the edges of the leaves: Vinca major have hairy edges whilst Vinca minor are hairless.

Hedgerows, woodland and waste places. Often near gardens where it will have escaped from cultivation.

March to May.

Perennial.

Widespread and fairly frequent in Britain, usually as a garden escape.

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland, and nearly always as a garden escape. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 26 of the 617 tetrads.