Plant Details

Vinca minor

Lesser periwinkle

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Common names

38 names · 32 languages
EnglishYour language
Other languages (31)
Dutch
  • Kleine maagdenpalm[2]
  • Maagdenpalm
French
  • Petite pervenche[2]
Armenian
  • Վինկա ցածրահասակ[2]
Basque
  • Inkonte-belarra[2]
Belarusian
  • Барвенак малы[2]
Bulgarian
  • Малък зимзелен[2]
Catalan
  • vinca petita[2]
Chinese (Simplified)
  • 小蔓长春花[2]
Chinese (Traditional)
  • 小蔓長春花[2]
Croatian
  • Mala pavenka[2]
  • Mali zimzelen[2]
Czech
  • barvínek menší[2]
  • brčál menší[2]
Danish
  • Liden singrøn[2]
Estonian
  • väike igihali[2]
Finnish
  • pikkutalvio[2]
German
Greek
  • Βίγκα έρπουσα[2]
Hungarian
  • Kis meténg[2]
  • télizöld meténg[2]
Italian
  • Pervinca minore[2]
Japanese
  • ヒメツルニチニチソウ[2]
Latvian
  • Mazā kapmirte[2]
Lithuanian
  • Mažoji žiemė[2]
Norwegian
Polish
  • Barwinek pospolity[2]
Russian
  • Барвинок малый[2]
Slovak
  • zimozeleň menšia[2]
Slovenian
  • Navadni zimzelen[2]
Spanish
Swedish
  • vintergröna[2]
Turkish
  • Küçuk Cezayir Menekşesi[2]
  • Rozet Çiçeği[2]
Ukrainian
  • Барвінок малий[2]
Welsh
  • Perfagl fach[2]
Sources & name notes (2)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Vinca minor L. ↗

Common names from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20. License: CC BY.

Source records
  • Kleines Immergrün (DE) — VernacularName.tsv, line 155886; taxon 5BFGJ.
  • Lesser Periwinkle (EN) — VernacularName.tsv, line 155887; taxon 5BFGJ.
[2] Vinca minor — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • Kleine maagdenpalm — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • lesser periwinkle — results[0].names[2]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Kleines Immergrün — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • pikkutalvio — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Pervinca minore — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Petite pervenche — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • running-myrtle — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • brusela — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Barwinek pospolity — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • brčál menší — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • vintergröna — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Liden singrøn — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Барвинок малый — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • barvínek menší — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Mala pavenka — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • gravmyrt — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Малък зимзелен — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • ヒメツルニチニチソウ — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Mažoji žiemė — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • vinca petita — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • zimozeleň menšia — results[0].names[22]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Βίγκα έρπουσα — results[0].names[23]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • väike igihali — results[0].names[24]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • 小蔓長春花 — results[0].names[25]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • 小蔓长春花 — results[0].names[26]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Վինկա ցածրահասակ — results[0].names[27]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Барвінок малий — results[0].names[28]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Барвенак малы — results[0].names[29]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Navadni zimzelen — results[0].names[30]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Kis meténg — results[0].names[31]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Mazā kapmirte — results[0].names[32]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • télizöld meténg — results[0].names[33]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Mali zimzelen — results[0].names[34]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Perfagl fach — results[0].names[35]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Inkonte-belarra — results[0].names[36]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Küçuk Cezayir Menekşesi — results[0].names[37]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.
  • Rozet Çiçeği — results[0].names[38]; taxon id 55844; Vinca minor.

General information

Scientific name: Vinca minor
Accepted name (Kew): Vinca minor L. View name reference ↗

Accepted in the cited Kew taxonomic treatment.

Sources [1] [2]
Botanical family: Apocynaceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Vinca (WCVP v16).

Sources [1]
Also known as: Lesser periwinkle
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Shrub
Catalogue size class: Small
Height: 0.08–0.15 m

NC State landscape size range; converted from feet and inches. Size varies with site, age and management.

Sources [3]
Spread: 0.15–0.46 m

NC State landscape size range; converted from feet and inches. Size varies with site, age and management.

Sources [3]
Growth rate: Fast
Sources [3]
Foliage: Evergreen
Sources [3]
Growth habit: Horizontal, Prostrate, Spreading

Whole-plant habit and form as described by NC State.

Sources [3]
Life cycle: Perennial
Sources [3]

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b

USDA zones listed by NC State; winter survival does not establish reliable cropping.

Sources [3]
Soil moisture:
Well-drained, Moist, Occasionally Dry

Moisture and drainage conditions listed by NC State.

Sources [3]
Soil:
Clay, High Organic Matter, Loam (Silt), Sand
Sources [3]
pH:
Acidic Neutral Alkaline
Light:
Dappled Sunlight, Full sun, Partial Shade
Sources [3]

Uses

Edible parts:
-
Edibility rating:
(0)
Medicinal rating:
(0)
Functions:
Basketry

Description

Flower color: Blue, Lavender, Purple, White. Blooming time: Early summer, early spring, late spring, mid-spring. Shape: Prostrate, Spreading or horizontal, Variable spreading.

Harvest

Harvest starts: 01/05
Harvest ends: 30/09

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: Botanical familyTaxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 1114610; name ID 213142; Vinca L.. Family column.
    • Taxonomy: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 1114655; name ID 213172; Vinca minor L..

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.

  2. Catalogue of Life Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Vinca minor

    Taxonomic data from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20.

    Supports: Taxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Taxonomy: COL 2026-08-20, NameUsage.tsv line 1464509, ID 5BFGJ: Vinca minor L. (accepted).

    Source checked on .

  3. NC State Extension, North Carolina State University Vinca minor — Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
    Supports: HeightSpreadGrowth rateFoliageGrowth habitLife cycleLightSoil moistureSoil textureUSDA hardiness
    Relevant sections
    • Height: Dimensions > Height; Height: 0 ft. 3 in. - 0 ft. 6 in.
    • Spread: Dimensions > Width; Width: 0 ft. 6 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
    • Growth rate: Growth Rate
    • Foliage: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
    • Growth habit: Habit/Form
    • Life cycle: Life Cycle
    • Light: Light
    • Soil moisture: Soil Drainage
    • Soil texture: Soil Texture
    • USDA hardiness: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

    Source checked on .