Vinca — the sorcerer’s violet

Sorcerer’s violet — a mystical name for such a dainty little blossom. This spreading, hardy evergreen perennial has such a long and varied history. Named by Linnaeus, the two species, Vinca minor (lesser periwinkle) and Vinca major (greater periwinkle) have been valued since antiquity for their magical properties and medicinal benefits.

Both the English and the botanical names were said to derive from the Latin “vinco” meaning to bind, in reference to their long trailing stems that spread over and keep other plants down where it grows. Wordsworth noted this very fact in his quote, “Through primrose tufts in that sweet bower, the fair periwinkle trailed its wreaths.” The Italians call it “centocchio” or “hundred eyes” for the numerous tiny blooms it produces, while the French call it “pucellage” or “virgin-flower,” referring to the Madonna blue flowers. Over the years it has also been known as pennywinkle, blue buttons, ground ivy and joy of the ground.

In the Victorian language of flowers, periwinkle is said to represent sincere and unalterable friendships and the pleasures of memory. In some countries, periwinkle was sent to inspire love and as presents between lovers and friends to acknowledge the pleasures of a happy association. But this ancient plant has also been called the “flower of immortality” by the Germans and in Italy the “fiore di morte,” or “flower of death,” due to the ancient customs of using it in the creation of garlands to be placed on the biers of dead children. As well, in an old chronicle written in 1306, it was noted that Simon Fraser, after being taken as a prisoner when fighting for William Wallace, rode heavily ironed through the streets of London to his place of execution where a periwinkle garland was placed on his head as a symbol of mockery.

Superstitions about periwinkle also transcend the ages, having been repeated over the centuries by all the old writers. Commonly called the sorcerer’s violet, the ancient Greeks used this pleasing plant to exorcise evil spirits and to banish negativity. To produce positive results, there were stated rituals for picking the plant. Printed in 1480, Apuleius, a second century Roman writer, noted in his herbarium, “This wort thou shalt pluck thus saying, ‘I pray thee, Vinca pervinca, thee that art to be had for they many useful qualities, that thou come to me glad blossoming with thy mainfulness, that thou outfit me so that I may be shielded and ever prosperous and undamaged by poisons and by water.” Apuleius described lesser periwinkle as being useful “against the devil sickness and demoniacal passions and against snakes and wild beasts.” The humble periwinkle was also considered a vital ingredient in medieval love potions with the flowers being strewn at weddings.

Periwinkle was also revered for its medicinal properties. An ointment prepared from the bruised leaves mixed with lard was used in soothing and healing all inflammatory ailments of the skin. The compound of vincamine in the vinca leaves discovered in lesser periwinkle was used to treat arteriosclerosis and dementia due to insufficient blood flow to the brain. Periwinkle tea was touted as a good remedy for scurvy, as a gargle to relieve sore throats and inflamed tonsils, as a protection for the lining of the digestive tract from irritation and inflammation and for stopping diarrhea and dysentery. The flowers of greater and lesser periwinkle are gently purgative but lose their effect upon drying. Known to stop bleeding internally and externally, as the astringents and tannins possess a binding quality, it was often prescribed to reduce heavy periods, to staunch bleeding from cuts and wounds and as a good lotion for varicose veins and hemorrhoids. It also has the ability to reduce blood sugar in the treatment of diabetes.

Wild periwinkles are known to grow in woodlands and along the banks of rivers. This ground cover, thought by some to be somewhat invasive, produces five-petalled violet-blue flowers on arching tendrils that bloom from spring to midsummer. The shiny, elliptical green leaves last throughout the growing season. Even Chaucer referred to this positive trait, “fresh pervinke rich of hew.” It is easily propagated from stem sections or by layering. It is considered a good ground cover for difficult areas, such as under trees, for it is tolerant of dry shade. Vinca minor is the more restrained variety with many small blue flowers. There are also variegated varieties including a cultivated silver variegated form which is quite lovely.

I have found periwinkle to be quite useful in the dark, dry shade under my mature spruce trees. Although I found it slow to establish (taking a few years), it now fully blankets the ground. If you are looking for a ground cover for a difficult location, periwinkle might be the answer for your garden. As Macer commented in his herbal written early in the 16th century:

Parwynkle is an erbe grene of colour
In Tyme of May he beryth blo flour
His stalkys ain (are) so feynt and feye
Yet neer more growth he hey (high).

Kathy Wood is a member of the Bracebridge Horticultural Society and a regional director for Region VII of the Garden Writers Association. Kathy can be reached at rosewoodpk@sympatico.ca.

Calendar of events — District 18 horticultural societies

Baysville
Sept. 27 — District 18 Fall Workshop
The Baysville Horticultural Society meets on the first Thursday of each month, September to May (no meetings in June, July and August) at 7:30 p.m. at the Baysville Seniors Centre.

Bracebridge
June 24 — Biologist Paul Heydon talks on Native Plants, Their Purpose and Benefits For Our Garden at 7:30 p.m. at the Bracebridge Seniors Centre.

Gravenhurst
June 17 — Biologist Paul Heydon talks on Grow Wild! Native Plants and Ecology at 7:30 p.m. at the Gravenhurst Seniors Centre.

Huntsville
June 24 — Speaker Dianne Biggs talks on Harvesting Wild Foods and Medicines at 7:30 p.m. at Sutherland Hall, All Saint’s Anglican Church.

Rosseau
July 2 — Miriam Goldberger of Wildflower Farm talks on eco-friendly gardening, drought-resistant plants and natural shoreline restoration at 7:15 p.m. at Rosseau Community Hall.

Sprucedale and District
June 16 — Elaine Vida talks on Ornamental Grasses at 7:30 p.m. at Emsdale.
The Sprucedale and District Horticultural Society meets the third Monday of each month, March to November. Meetings start at 7:30 p.m. and alternate between Emsdale, Kearney and Sprucedale. For more information contact Doris Villemarie at 685-7412 or Grace Knott at 636-5751.

Garden quote

March 10: When I got to the bottom of the lane, I set my bicycle against a bank and picniced (sic) on a fence. A beautiful jay in all glory of his spring plumage flew screaming across the lane into a spinney of larch trees opposite. It seemed to resent the intrusion of a human being in such an unfrequent spot. I was glad to find the white periwinkle still trailing its wreathes on the bank, but the flowers were only in bud; and the violets, too, were just uncurling their buds under their fresh green leaves . . . I noticed that the white periwinkle blossoms have five petals, while the blue have only four. I wonder if this is always so.