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''Vinca'' (; Latin: ''vincire'' "to bind, fetter") is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, native to Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia. The English name periwinkle is shared with the related genus ''
Catharanthus ''Catharanthus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. Like the genus ''Vinca'', they are known commonly as periwinkles. There are eight known species. Seven are endemic to Madagascar,mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000  extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...
, '' Littorina littorea'').


Description

''Vinca'' plants are
subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Der ...
s or
herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...
, 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
leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are opposite, simple broad lanceolate to ovate, long and broad; they are evergreen in four species, but deciduous in the herbaceous '' V. 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 flowers, 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
dehisces Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that op ...
along one rupture site to release seeds.


Gardens

Two of the species, '' Vinca major'' and '' Vinca minor'', are extensively cultivated as a flowering evergreen ornamental plant. Because the plants are low and spread quickly, they are often used as
groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought. In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as t ...
in garden landscapes and
container garden Container gardening or pot gardening/farming is the practice of growing plants, including edible plants, exclusively in containers instead of planting them in the ground. A container in gardening is a small, enclosed and usually portable object ...
s. They are also traditionally used in older cemeteries as an evergreen maintenance-free ground cover. Many cultivars are available, with different plant, leaf, and flower colors, sizes, and habits.


Invasive plant species

Although attractive, both ''Vinca major'' and ''Vinca minor'' may be
invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...
in some regions where they are introduced species because the rapid spreading chokes out native plant species and alters habitats. Areas affected include parts of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States, especially coastal California.


Medicinal use

The vinca alkaloids include at least 86
alkaloids Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar st ...
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, lymphomas, 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 Vindoline is a chemical precursor to vinblastine. Vindoline is formed through biosynthesis from Tabersonine Tabersonine is a terpene indole alkaloid found in the medicinal plant ''Catharanthus roseus'' and also in the genus Voacanga (both taxa b ...
and
catharanthine Catharanthine is a terpene indole alkaloid produced by the medicinal plant ''Catharanthus roseus'' and '' Tabernaemontana divaricata''. Catharanthine is derived from strictosidine, but the exact mechanism by which this happens is currently unknow ...
. In addition, the nootropic agent vincamine is derived from '' Vinca minor''.
Vinorelbine Vinorelbine (NVB), sold under the brand name Navelbine among others, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. It is given by injection into a vein or by mou ...
, a newer semi-synthetic chemotherapeutic agent, is used in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer and is prepared either from the
natural product A natural product is a natural compound or substance produced by a living organism—that is, found in nature. In the broadest sense, natural products include any substance produced by life. Natural products can also be prepared by chemical syn ...
s leurosine or
catharanthine Catharanthine is a terpene indole alkaloid produced by the medicinal plant ''Catharanthus roseus'' and '' Tabernaemontana divaricata''. Catharanthine is derived from strictosidine, but the exact mechanism by which this happens is currently unknow ...
and
vindoline Vindoline is a chemical precursor to vinblastine. Vindoline is formed through biosynthesis from Tabersonine Tabersonine is a terpene indole alkaloid found in the medicinal plant ''Catharanthus roseus'' and also in the genus Voacanga (both taxa b ...
, in both cases by first preparing anhydrovinblastine.


Species

Accepted species: * ''
Vinca difformis ''Vinca difformis'', commonly called the intermediate periwinkle, is an evergreen, flowering plant, flowering subshrub native to Western Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula, France, the Italian Peninsula and Sardinia. Its whitish-blue flowers ...
'' Pourr. – Azores, western and central Mediterranean * ''
Vinca erecta ''Vinca'' (; Latin: ''vincire'' "to bind, fetter") is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, native to Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia. The English name periwinkle is shared with the related genus ''Catharanthus'' (an ...
'' Regel & Schmalh. – Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan * '' Vinca herbacea'' Waldst. & Kit. – central, eastern and southeastern Europe; Middle East * ''
Vinca ispartensis ''Vinca ispartensis'' is a species of flowering plant first identified in Isparta Province, Turkey. Its discovery was first published in 2015. The specific epithet ''ispartensis'' indicates its place of discovery, with its etymology being 'ispart ...
'' 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, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala * '' Vinca minor'' L. – central and southeastern Europe, Ukraine, Caucasus; introduced to and established in British Isles, Scandinavia, Portugal, Turkey, south China, North America, New Zealand * ''
Vinca soneri ''Vinca'' (; Latin: ''vincire'' "to bind, fetter") is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, native to Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia. The English name periwinkle is shared with the related genus ''Catharanthus'' (an ...
'' Koyuncu – Turkey


References


External links

* {{Taxonbar, from1=Q220925, from2=Q18983665 Apocynaceae genera Groundcovers Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Rhizomatous plants Stoloniferous plants Subshrubs