Madagascar Periwinkle, Periwinkle, or Vinca

(Apocynaceae - Dogbane Family)

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• Form
  • small herbaceous annual
  • those bred for annual beds often mature at about 12" tall by 8" wide, while those bred for groundcover form may mature at 6" tall by 24" wide
  • upright mat to procumbent mat growth habit

• Culture
  • full sun to partial sun
  • prefers a moist, well-drained soil of average fertility, but tolerates dry soils, poor soils, heat, and drought
  • propagated primarily by seeds, but occasionally by rooted stem cuttings
  • Dogbane Family, with no serious disease or pest problems
  • abundantly available in flats or seed packets
  • foliage will curl during the heat of the day when under Summer drought stress, but will recover with the appearance of the evening dew
  • plants will not grow or bloom well during cool conditions, excessive irrigation or rainfall, or excessive soil fertility

• Foliage
  • glossy medium to dark green oblong leaves are brightly lustrous like no other annual, oppositely arranged, to 3" long

• Flowers
  • available in several of the cooler colors, from white with a small red center, mauve or pink with a darkened center, or solid colors of rose-purple, lavender, pink, salmon, or white
  • five-petaled and pin-wheel like, each petal somewhat rhombic, with the corolla fused at the base of each of the five petals
  • flowering from June until frost

• Fruits
  • ornamentally inconspicuous

• Twigs
  • not applicable

• Trunk
  • not applicable

• ID Summary
  • super-glossy, dark green, opposite and oblong 3" long foliage shines throughout the Summer on this short annual, topped by white, pink, or mauve solitary flowers, often with a darker eye, with the medium green stems upright to procumbent, to 1' tall; excellent as both a foliage and flowering annual

• Function
  • annual for edgings, beds, or planters

• Texture
  • medium texture
  • thick density

• Assets
  • lustrous dark green foliage
  • tidy appearance
  • terminal white, pink, or mauve solitary pinwheel flowers contrast well above the glossy dark green foliage
  • thrives in the heat and humidity of Summer (although the leaves will sometimes roll up during the day)

• Liabilities
  • sensitive to cool or wet weather, or high fertility soils (delays or stops flowering)

• Habitat
  • annual that dies after several frosts
  • native to Madagascar and India

• Alternates
  • annuals with attractive foliage (Amaranthus, Begonia, Caladium, Canna, Coleus, etc.)
  • annuals that are very heat, humidity, and drought tolerant (Petunia x hybrida, Tagetes patula, Zinnia angustifolia, etc.)

• Variants
  • Catharanthus roseus cultivars are bred for floral traits (such as the popular 'Cooler Series') and/or plant growth habit (such as the compact 'Little Series')

• Translation
  • Catharanthus translates as "pure flower".
  • roseus refers to the "rose-colored" flowers of some types.
  • this annual is sometimes listed by the old scientific name of Vinca rosea, and its solitary flowers resemble those of the Spring-blooming groundcover Vinca minor.

• Purpose
  • Madagascar Periwinkle is an excellent annual for its glossy dark green foliage and Summer-long bloom during heat, humidity, and drought.

• Summary
  • Catharanthus roseus is known as a heat-thriving annual with small attractive white, salmon, mauve, pink, lavender, rose-purple, or bicolor flowers held atop its lustrous dark green foliage.