Vinca (;[Stearn, W. T. (1983). Botanical Latin ed. 3. David & Charles .] Latin: vincire "to bind, fetter") is an Old World genus of in the family Apocynaceae, The English name periwinkle is shared with the related genus Catharanthus (and with the mollusc Littorina littorea). Some Vinca species are cultivated but have also spread Invasive species. Additionally, some species have medicinal uses. The most widespread species is Vinca minor.
Description
Vinca plants are
or
herbaceous, and have slender trailing stems long but not growing more than above ground; the stems frequently take root where they touch the ground, enabling the plant to spread widely. The
leaf are opposite, simple broad lanceolate to ovate, long and broad; they are
evergreen in four species, but
deciduous in the herbaceous
Vinca herbacea, which dies back to the root system in winter.
[Blamey, M., & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. Hodder & Stoughton.][Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening 4: 664-665. Macmillan.]
The , produced through most of the growing season, are salverform (like those of Phlox), simple, broad, with five usually violet (occasionally white) petals joined together at the base to form a tube. The fruit consists of a pair of divergent follicles; the dry fruit dehiscent along one rupture site to release seeds.
Species
Accepted species:
-
Vinca difformis Pourr. – Azores, western and central Mediterranean
-
Vinca erecta Regel & Schmalh. – Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
-
Vinca herbacea Waldst. & Kit. – central, eastern and southeastern Europe; Middle East
-
Vinca ispartensis Koyuncu & Ekşi – Turkey
-
Vinca major L. – southern Europe, Turkey, Syria, Caucasus; introduced to and established in New Zealand, California, British Isles, central Europe, Ukraine, North Africa, south China, Canary Islands, Madeira, North America,
-
Vinca minor L. – central and southeastern Europe, Ukraine, Caucasus; introduced to and established in British Isles, Scandinavia, Portugal, Turkey, south China, North America,
-
Vinca soneri Koyuncu – Turkey
Distribution and habitat
The genus is native to
Europe, northwest
Africa and southwest
Asia.
[ Flora Europaea: Vinca][ Flora of Pakistan: Vinca][ Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Vinca included photos plus European distribution maps]
Ecology
Vinca major and
Vinca minor may be
invasive species in some regions where they are introduced species because the rapid spreading chokes out
native plant species and alters
. Areas affected include parts of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States, especially coastal
California.
[ Global Compendium of Weeds: Vinca major][ Global Compendium of Weeds: Vinca minor]
Cultivation
Vinca major and
V. minor are extensively cultivated as a flowering evergreen
ornamental plant. Because the plants are low and spread quickly, they are often used as
groundcover in
garden landscapes and
. They are also traditionally used in older cemeteries as an evergreen maintenance-free ground cover.
Many
are available, with different plant, leaf, and flower colors, sizes, and habits.
Medicinal uses
The
vinca alkaloids include at least 86
alkaloids extracted from plants in the genus
Vinca.
The
chemotherapy agent
vincristine is extracted from a closely related species,
Catharanthus roseus,
and is used to treat some
leukemias,
,
and childhood cancers,
as well as several other types of cancer and some non-cancerous conditions.
Vinblastine is a chemical analogue of
vincristine and is also used to treat various forms of cancer.
Dimeric alkaloids such as vincristine and vinblastine are produced by the coupling the smaller indole alkaloids
vindoline and
catharanthine.
In addition, the
nootropic agent
vincamine is derived from
V. minor.
Vinorelbine, a newer
semisynthesis chemotherapeutic agent, is used in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer
and is prepared either from the
leurosine
or
catharanthine and
vindoline,
in both cases by first preparing anhydrovinblastine.
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