Appearance
Vinca minor is a vine-like erect or trailing groundcover; mostly evergreen; stems slender.

Foliage
Leaves are opposite, dark green, glossy, oval to lance-shaped, thick-textured; may be variegated.

Flowers
Flowers are blue, lavender, or white, about 1 in. (2.5 cm) across, five petals blunt at tip, arranged in a spiral; blooms in springtime.

Fruit
No fruits or seeds typically. Spreads vegetatively through rhizomes.

Ecological Threat
Vinca minor has escaped cultivation and is invading natural areas throughout the eastern U.S. It inhabits open to shady sites including forests and often escapes from old homesites. Vinca minor grows vigorously and forms dense and extensive mats along the forest floor, displacing native herbaceous and woody plant species. Vinca minor was first introduced into North America in the 1700s as an ornamental. It is still commonly sold as an ornamental ground cover.

Resources

• A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests - USDA Forest Service
• Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
• Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
• Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Selected Images

Maps

Invasive Listing Sources

• Alabama Invasive Plant Council
• City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
• Delaware Invasive Species Council
• Delaware Invasive Species Council Invasive Species List
• Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council - Category 2
• Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns, Eds. 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.
• Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
• Invasive Plant Association of Wisconsin
• Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia
• Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
• John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
• Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Significant Threat
• Maryland Cooperative Extension Service.  2003. Invasive Plant Control in Maryland. Home and Garden Information Center, Home and Garden Mimeo HG88. 4 pp.
• National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
• Native Plant Society of Oregon, 2008
• New Hampshire Invasive Plant Species Watch List
• New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee. 2005. Guide to Invasive Upland Plant Species in New Hampshire. New Hampshire Department of Agriculture,  Markets and Food Plant Industry Division and New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee.
• Non-Native Invasive Plants of Arlington County, Virginia
• Non-Native Invasive Plants of the City of Alexandria, Virginia
• Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
• Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program Tracked Species List
• Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Invasive Plants
• Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas
• Reichard, Sarah. 1994.  Assessing the potential of invasiveness in woody plants introduced in North America. University of Washington Ph.D. dissertation.
• Rhode Island Natural History Survey
• South Carolina Invasive Pest Council
• Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council
• Virginia Invasive Plant Species List
• Virginia Master Naturalists Priority Species List
• WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
• West Virginia Invasive Species Strategic Plan and Volunteer Guidelines 2014
• West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999

References