Blue periwinkle

Family: Apocynaceae
Scientific name: Vinca major
Description: Plant Form Perennial creeping mat-forming herb. Size Up to 50 cm tall. Stem Slender, fleshy with milky sap. Creep up to 2-4 m long. Leaves Thick, soft to leathery, egg or oval shaped 15-90 mm long, with small fine hairs on smooth margins. Glossy green, sometimes variegated pale yellow or green. Flowers Purplish blue, occasionally white, solitary on stalk, with 5 petals surrounding tubular centre. Fruit and Seeds Finger like pods in pairs 2-5 cm long with 1-4 hairless seeds 7-8 mm long. Habitat Riparian areas, heathland, grassland, wet forests, roadsides, gardens. Distinguishing Features Larger than lookalike Lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor), and with hairs on leaf margins. Impacts Mats shade out native species, toxic to livestock, alters habitat.

Example images for this weed