Bigleaf Periwinkle
Vinca major
NEMBA category
English: Bigleaf Periwinkle, Greater Periwinkle, Blue Periwinkle
Afrikaans: Grootblaar-krulrank, Blou Krulrank
Historical scientific names: Vinca grandiflora
Vinca major, commonly known as Bigleaf Periwinkle or Grootblaar-krulrank, is an extremely aggressive alien invasive evergreen perennial. It is easily identified by its long, trailing stems, large, glossy dark green leaves, and charming violet-blue, pinwheel-shaped flowers.
Despite its ornamental appeal, this plant forms dense, smothering mats, rapidly taking over natural areas, out-competing indigenous vegetation, and causing significant ecological harm in South Africa.
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Origin:
Native to southern Europe and northern Africa, particularly the Mediterranean region.
Distinguishing features:
Long, trailing, woody stems that root at nodes.
Large, glossy, oval to heart-shaped, dark green leaves arranged oppositely.
Distinctive violet-blue, five-petalled, pinwheel-shaped flowers.
Forms dense, extensive mats that effectively smother other plants.
Evergreen foliage year-round.
Overall appearance:
The Bigleaf Periwinkle (Vinca major) is a vigorous, trailing perennial that creates a lush carpet of glossy foliage. Its most noticeable features are its long, arching stems, which are thickly covered with large, dark green, shiny leaves. In spring and early summer, it is adorned with attractive, star-shaped, violet-blue flowers that pop against the deep green backdrop. This plant's rapid spread and dense growth are key to its invasive success.
Height:
Typically grows 20 to 50 centimetres tall as a groundcover, but its stems spread widely.
Width:
Forms an expansive, dense mat, capable of covering many square metres. Stems can trail for several metres.
Leaves:
The leaves are opposite, broadly oval to heart-shaped (cordate) at the base, and measure 3-9 cm long and 2-6 cm wide. They are a glossy, dark green on the upper surface, often paler beneath, and have entire (smooth) margins. The texture is somewhat leathery.
Flowers:
The flowers are conspicuous, typically 3-5 cm in diameter, with five petals fused at the base, forming a characteristic pinwheel or propeller shape. They are a vibrant violet-blue, sometimes paler blue, and rarely white. Each flower is solitary and borne on a slender stalk from the leaf axils. Vinca major flowers are hermaphroditic.
Flowering season:
Primarily flowers in spring and early summer (around August to December), with sporadic blooms continuing into autumn in favourable conditions.
Fruits:
The fruit consists of two slender follicles (dry pods) that are typically 2.5-5 cm long. However, fruit and seed production are generally very low or absent in South Africa, with the plant spreading almost entirely through vegetative means.
Seeds:
Seeds are rarely produced or viable in South Africa, as the plant primarily reproduces vegetatively.
Stems:
The stems are long, slender, trailing, and herbaceous when young, becoming somewhat woody with age. They are green or purplish-green and readily root at the nodes wherever they touch the ground, allowing for aggressive and extensive vegetative spread.
Thorns:
None.
Roots:
Produces a fibrous and shallow root system, with adventitious roots developing profusely from the nodes of its trailing stems, enabling rapid colonisation and anchorage.
Soil type:
Highly adaptable to a wide range of soil types, preferring moist, well-drained, fertile soils with good organic matter. It tolerates clay, loam, and sandy soils, and can grow in both acidic and alkaline conditions. It thrives in soils with consistent moisture but can tolerate some dry periods once established.
Aspect:
Thrives in partial shade to full shade, though it can tolerate full sun in cooler climates or with consistent moisture. It prefers sheltered locations. It requires consistent moisture and is somewhat tolerant of drought once established, but prolonged dry spells will cause leaf scorch. It is hardy to moderate frost (down to -5°C to -10°C), but severe frost can damage foliage, though it usually recovers. Its invasive spread is most pronounced in moist, shaded environments.
Ediblity:
Not considered edible for humans.
Toxicity:
All parts of Vinca major are considered toxic if ingested. It contains various indole alkaloids, including vincamine, which can affect the circulatory and nervous systems. Ingestion can cause gastrointestinal upset (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea) and, in larger doses, more severe symptoms like lowered blood pressure and cardiac rhythm disturbances. It is important to keep this plant away from children and pets.
Uses:
Introduced and widely cultivated as an ornamental groundcover for its attractive foliage and flowers, particularly in shaded areas where few other plants thrive.
Used to control erosion on banks and slopes due to its dense, mat-forming habit.
Due to its highly invasive nature in South Africa, its cultivation and use should be strongly discouraged and replaced with indigenous alternatives.
Ecology:
As an alien invasive, Vinca major is an extremely aggressive and problematic plant. It forms dense, suffocating mats that completely cover and suppress all other indigenous groundcover plants, herbs, and the seedlings of larger plants, especially in moist, shaded areas like forest floors, river banks, and riparian zones. This prevents light from reaching native flora, inhibits germination, and leads to a drastic reduction in biodiversity. Its rapid vegetative spread through rooting stems and ease of establishment from even small fragments make it very difficult to control and eradicate. It alters nutrient cycling and habitat structure, negatively impacting native wildlife that relies on indigenous vegetation.
Distribution and habitat:
As an alien invasive plant in South Africa, Vinca major is widely distributed and a major threat, particularly in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, but also found in parts of Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo. It invades indigenous forests, forest margins, riparian zones (along rivers and streams), urban open spaces, roadsides, and disturbed areas. It readily escapes from gardens and discarded garden waste.
Derivation of name:
The genus name Vinca is derived from the Latin word 'vincire', meaning 'to bind' or 'to intertwine', referring to its long, trailing, and intertwining stems.
The species epithet major is Latin for 'larger' or 'greater', distinguishing it from the closely related and generally smaller Vinca minor.
The common name "Periwinkle" is believed to be derived from an Old English word 'periwince'.
"Bigleaf Periwinkle" accurately describes its larger leaves compared to other species.
Historical aspects:
Vinca major has been cultivated as an ornamental plant for centuries in Europe and was introduced to many parts of the world, including South Africa, for its attractive foliage and ability to form a dense groundcover, particularly in challenging shaded areas. Its robust nature and ease of propagation, initially seen as desirable qualities, unfortunately led to its widespread escape from cultivation and its subsequent establishment as a significant invasive species globally, demonstrating how easily a "garden favourite" can become an ecological problem.
Interesting facts:
This plant is like a super-fast green blanket – it spreads so quickly that it can smother almost everything else in its path!
Even though its stems are long and trailing, they're surprisingly tough and can root anywhere they touch the ground, making it a master coloniser.
Its beautiful blue flowers might look innocent, but they're part of a plant that's a big problem for South Africa's natural areas.
The name 'Vinca' comes from a Latin word meaning 'to bind' or 'to intertwine', which is exactly what its long, sneaky stems do!
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