1934 



VINCA 



slowly but surely in about a month, and until February 

 will do very well in a 2%-mch pot. About the middle of 

 February shake off the soil and give them a 3-inch pot, 

 and they will make a fine growth bv middle of May. In 



VINCA 



dark purple fls. ; aurea variegata, with golden variega- 

 tion; csBrulea, with single blue fls.; plena, with double 

 blue fls.; rosea, with single rosy fls.; purpurea plena, 

 with purple double fls. Gn. 50:1078. Some of these are 



Running Myrtle. Natural size. 



growing these trailing Vincas in pots the principal point 

 to observe is never to let them want for water. 



William Scott. 



Vinca is a genus of herbs or subshrubs, erect or pro- 

 cumbent: lvs. opposite: fls. rather large, axillary, soli- 

 tary; corolla salver-shaped, with a narrow throat which 

 is pilose inside or thickened-calloused; stamens in- 

 cluded above the middle of the tube; carpels 2, distinct; 

 stigma annular, thick, viscid; ovules 6-many in each 

 carpel, in 2 series: follicles 2, erect or divergent. The 

 genus may be divided into 2 sections: 1. Pervinca, in 

 which the anther-cells are short and divided by a wide 

 connective; 2. Lochnera, in which the anther-cells are 

 normal. V. rosea belongs to Section 2; the others men- 

 tioned below are included in Section 1. 



alba, 1, 4. 

 argentea, 1. 

 atropnrpurea, 1. 

 aurea, 2. 

 Bride. The, 1. 

 caerulea, 1. 



elegantissima,l,2. 



herbacea, 3. 

 major, 2. 



oculata, 4. 

 plena, 1. 



purpurea, 1. 

 reticulata, 2. 

 rosea, 4. 

 variegata, 2. 

 varius, 4. 



A. Trailing herbs, hardy or nearly so, only the short 

 flowering stems ascending: fls. produced in spring 

 or early summer, mostly blue or white. European 

 species. 



B. Foliage evergreen. 



C. Lvs. ovate or oblong-ovate: corolla-lobes wedge- 

 shaped: calyx glabrous. 



1. minor, Linn. Cosimon Periwinkle. Blue, Run- 

 ning or Trailing Myrtle. Fig. 2071. Hardy evergreen 

 trailing herb, in all country gardens and running wild 

 in cemeteries and shady places, the blue-fld. or typical 

 form being commonest. Often called "Myrtle "but the 

 classic myrtle is Myrtus communis. Very rarely pro- 

 duces seed, but spreads freely by creeping sterile stems 

 which root at every joint. Lvs. ovate or oblong-ovate, 

 glabrous and shining, barely 1% in. long: petiole very 

 short, with 2 glands near the apex: calyx-lobes lanceo- 

 late, glabrous; corolla -lobes wedge-shaped, obtusely 

 truncate. Eu. 



The following horticultural varieties are advertised in 

 America: Var. alba, with single white fls.; alba plena, 

 with double white fls. ; alba variegata, with single white 

 fls. and variegated foliage; argentea variegata, with 

 silvery variegation ; atropurpurea compacta, with single 



advertised without reference to V. minor, as if they 

 were good species, thus V. cwrulea and purpurea. V. 

 elegantissima alba belongs here, also "The Bride," a 

 white variety with a pink center. 



cc. Lvs. subcordate-ovate : corolla-lobes obovate: calyx 

 ciliate. 

 2. major, Linn. Larger Periwinkle. Larger in all 

 its parts than V. minor, not quite hardy north, and root- 

 ing only at the tips of the sterile stems. Lvs. broader 

 below the middle than in V. minor, subcordate-ovate, 

 often 2-3 in. long, ciliate; petiole with 2 glands near the 

 apex : fls. blue ; calyx-lobes narrowly linear, ciliate ; 

 corolla-lobes obovate. Eu. — This species is much sub- 

 ject to mealy bug. The va- 

 riegated forms are popular 

 for veranda boxes and 

 hanging baskets. Some are 

 blotched with yellow, oth- 

 ers are margined. Here 

 seem to belong V. aurea 

 marginata and V. aurea 

 maculata, Hort. V. major, 

 vars. variegata and reticu- 

 lata, are also advertised. 

 Var. elegantissima, Hort., 

 is a handsome form with 

 lvs. bordered and blotched 

 with yellowish white. It 

 seems to be common with 

 the florists, although it is 

 rarely, if ever, advertised 

 in American trade cata- 

 logues. It is one of the 

 best forms for vases for 

 baskets and for decora- 

 tion indoors. The sprays 

 should be allowed to grow 

 long, in order to develop 

 their characteristics. Cut- 

 tings should be struck 

 early in the fall and if kept 

 growing steadily will make 

 satisfactory specimens in 

 five-inch pots. It is a good 

 idea to plant this variety 

 in the front part of a sunny 

 greenhouse bench where 



2672. Vinca rosea. 

 (X nearly K). 



the long sprays may reach down to the walk. As a 

 window -box plant it has the merit of withstanding 

 considerable neglect. 



