Vinca major

Detailed description

Stems glabrous, long and partly trailing or running and rooting at nodes, with terminal part often ascending, forming dense mats often covering many square metres. Petiole 7~20mm long; margins hirsute. Lamina 4~10 x 2.5~7cm, ovate, usually dark glossy green above, rarely variegated white and green; midrib hairy above; margins ciliate; base mostly rounded or subcordate, sometimes truncate or broad-cuneate; apex obtuse or acute, pedicels 2.5~4cm long, slender. Calyx .9~1.7cm long; lobes linear-subulate, ciliate, glandular towards base, Corolla tube approx. 1.5cm long; limb 3.5~5cm diam., mauvish-blue; lobes obliquely obovate; apex truncate or obtuse. Anthers slightly wider than long. Follicles 3.5~5cm long, the apical part very narrow and pointed, constricted between seeds. Seeds 7~8mm lon, oblong, strongly corrugated; margins inrolled. (Webb et. al., 1988) The plant has endless trailing and twining stems (Hilgendorf 1926), and glossy green leaves and beautiful pale blue salver-shaped flowers 2 -3 cm across (Hilgendorf 1926). A plant that forms a dense mat of long running, hairless stems with roots at the nodes (Department of Conservation 1996). The opposite leaves are oval, usually around 4 cm long, usually a dark glossy green and rarely variegated white and green (Department of Conservation 1996). The flowers are tubular and flat-lobed at the mouth to 5cm in diameter and are a mauvish blue (Department of Conservation 1996).