Vinca, commonly called periwinkle, is a genus of low-growing flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. Two of the most commonly cultivated species are Vinca major (greater periwinkle) and Vinca minor (lesser periwinkle), which differ mainly in size. It is often used as an ornamental ground cover.
Periwinkle flowers are tubular, consisting of five distinctive pinwheel-like petals with blunt, broad tips; the center of the flower has a prominent star to pentagon shape. The color of the flowers usually varies between blue and purple; occasionally white. The leaves are elliptic (oval to lance-shaped).
