Plant Identification Learning Module:
Flowers and Foliage

Periwinkle, Vinca (Catharanthus roseus)

Periwinkle is a warm season annual that grows from seven to twenty-four inches high and wide. It may have a carpet-like or an upright growth habit. Stems are considered brittle. The leaves are glossy green, oppositesimpleelliptic, and range from two to four inches long. The pin-wheel like flowers have five petals fused at the base, and can form a colorful mound in white, pinks, reds, or bi-colors.


Periwinkle plant
Photo by Shirley Denton
© Wunderlin, R. P., and B. F. Hansen. 2008. USF Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants.

Periwinkle flower
Photo by Paul L. Redfern, Jr.
© Wunderlin, R. P., and B. F. Hansen. 2008. USF Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants.

Periwinkle foliage
Photo by Carl Clifford