Plant · P-166

Common Periwinkle

Vinca minor

Common Periwinkle forms a dense evergreen mat that closes in about two years under full tree cover, filling the deep-shade understorey where almost nothing else takes hold, and it binds steep or shaded banks as it roots at every node along the way. It contains vincamine, a compound used pharmaceutically as a cerebral stimulant, and its blue-lavender flowers appear in spring with an intermittent rebloom through the season. Large quantities of the plant are toxic to horses, cattle and sheep, so it belongs in ground stock never reach - understorey, cut banks and around structures - rather than any paddock or grazed alley.