Bigleaf Periwinkle

Vinca major

Found in disturbed areas, suburban woodlands, around old house sites, persistent and spreading from cultivation. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

—

Not native

Not native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 65%

Height: 3–8 inches
Spread: 1–2 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Vinca major — flower photograph — (c) Daniel Cahen, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Leaves: Evergreen
Fruiting season: June to July

Not yet recorded · Bloom

Bloom: recorded only in the FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team) phone app (app page).

Recorded in 2 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement.

Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Habitats

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground; forests and woodlands.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Vinca

Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
Epiblema discretivanaDescriminating Epiblema

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Vinca

Phalacrocorax auritusDouble-crested Cormorant

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Apocynaceae
Hardiness: Zones 7a–9b
Flower color: Blue, purple or white
Fruit begins: June
Fruit ends: July

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Flower color · “Blue, purple or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Fruit begins · “June” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “July” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Hardiness · “Zones 7a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “3–8 inches” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Leaves · “Evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “1–2 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Greater Periwinkle

Conservation status

Florida rank	Not available
Global rank	GNR
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden