SimplePlant

Apocynaceae

Lesser periwinkle

Vinca minor L.

Family
Apocynaceae
Genus
Vinca

Pets and kids

  • CatsNot sure
  • DogsNot sure
  • KidsMildly toxic
Why

Cats: Not sure

We found no reliable source on this plant for cats, so we don't call it safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked with your vet.

Dogs: Not sure

We found no reliable source on this plant for dogs, so we don't call it safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked with your vet.

Kids: Mildly toxic

Mildly toxic to young children. Toxic principle: vinca alkaloids.

Signs: intestinal irritation, nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure, headache.

Ate some? Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply). For a child, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US). If they are struggling to breathe or collapse, call 911. Don't give anything by mouth unless a vet or poison expert tells you to.

Lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor)
FlowerPhoto: Neil Robertson, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (49)
Arabic
عناقية صغيرة, بنفسج أموات, بنفسج الحرة, عناقية, قضاب صغير, قضاب مصري, كميلية, ونكا صغيرة
Armenian
Վինկա ցածրահասակ
arz
عناقيه صغيره
azb
کیچیک قیف اوْتو
Azerbaijani
Kiçik qıfotu
Basque
Inkonte-belar txiki
Belarusian
Барвенак малы
Bulgarian
Малка винка, Дребен зимзелен, Малък зимзелен
Chinese
小蔓長春花, 小蔓长春花
Croatian
Mali zimzelen
csb
Zwëczajny bôrwik
Czech
Barvínek menší, Brčál barvínek, Brčál menší
Danish
Liden Singrøn, Lille Singrøn
Dutch
Kleine maagdenpalm, Kleine maagdepalm
English
Lesser periwinkle, Common periwinkle, Creeping myrtle, Dwarf periwinkle, Periwinkle, Small periwinkle, Common myrtle, Myrtle
Esperanto
Eta vinko
Estonian
Väike igihali
Finnish
Pikkutalvio
French
Petite pervenche, Pervenche mineure
frr
Letj Imergreen
German
Kleines Immergrün
grc
Κληματίς
hsb
Mały barbjenk, Mjeńši barbjenk, Wódny barbjenk, Zelenk
Hungarian
Kis meténg
io
Pervinko
Irish
Fincín beag
Japanese
姫蔓日々草
Kazakh
Кіші қабыршөп
Latvian
Mazā kapmirte
Lithuanian
Mažoji žiemė
Macedonian
Зелениче
Norwegian Bokmål
Gravmyrt
olo
Pikkubarvinikku
Persian
پیچ تلگرافی
Polish
Barwinek pospolity
Romanian
Saschiu
Russian
Барвинок малый, Боюшь-трава, Грабная трава, Могильник
Serbian
Зимзелен
Serbian (Latin)
Zimzelen
sgs
Mažojė žeimė
Slovak
Zimozeleň menšia
Slovenian
Navadni zimzelen
Spanish
Brancaporbrinca, Brusela menor, Clematida, Clemátida, Violeta de asno, Violeta de la bruja, Violeta ganatera, Violeta gañatera
Swedish
Vintergröna, Gravmyrten, Liten vintergröna, Sinngröna, Vanlig vintergröna
Turkish
Küçük Cezayir menekşesi
Ukrainian
Барвінок звичайний, Барвінок малий
Walloon
Pitite vintche, Ptite vintche
Welsh
Perfagl Fach
Western Frisian
Frisselgrien

Synonyms

  • Pervinca heterophyla Raf.
  • Pervinca minor Garsault
  • Pervinca procumbens Gilib.
  • Pervinca repens Raf.
  • Vinca acutiflora Bertol. ex W.D.J.Koch
  • Vinca ellipticifolia Stokes.
  • Vinca humilis Salisb.
  • Vinca intermedia Tausch
  • Vinca minor var. intermedia (Tausch) Nyman
  • Vinca minor var. sabinka H.Scholz

Flowers

In flower
March to May (from 20,840 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Flower colour
blue (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit
Forb/herb, Vine
Lifespan
Perennial
In the US and Canada
Canada: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced

Toxicity: Moderate, as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29). USDA rates how toxic a plant is to people or livestock; it is not a pet-safety rating, so ask a vet or poison line if a pet or child ate it.

Photos

More in Vinca

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.