Vinca major - Large Leaf Periwinkle

Large Leaf Periwinkle is an evergreen trailing vine, spreading along the ground and rooting along the stems to form patches of ground cover 2-5 m across and scrambling up to 50-70 cm high. Oppositely arranged leaves are 3-9 cm long and 2-6 cm broad, glossy dark green with a leathery texture and an entire but distinctly hairy margin, and a hairy petiole 1-2 cm long. The most clear feature to distinguish it from Lesser Periwinkle is that it has larger leaves with distinctly hairy margins, whereas the margin of the leaves of Lesser Periwinkle is not hairy. The flowers are produced from early spring to autumn, violet-purple, 3-5 cm diameter, with 5 petals. Flower size doesn't always distinguish between Large Leaf Periwinkle and Lesser Periwinkle. Large Leaf Periwinkle is native to Europe, but now widely naturalized in some Himalayan regions in India.