Greater Periwinkle (Vinca major), one of the true ornamental scourges of the world’s temperate environments, thanks to the influence of first the Romans (I suspect) and then the British, conceivably cottage gardeners both. Brought to Melbourne by 1855 (thanks J. & J. Rule, Richmond, among others), the plant would have quickly insinuated itself into various shady ecologies where it wasn’t invited. Greater Periwinkle is a major environmental weed throughout Australia, asserting itself in shaded contexts as a dominant groundcover to the exclusion of others. Its presence on this exposed railway embankment is a little less textbook. It has probably arrived here in dumped garden waste, it is protected from afternoon sun, and the poor soil conditions and some degree of active management have allowed it to gain a foothold by posing limits to potential competition. It also always helps to look good.
View Original Post on Instagram
Search for information about Vinca major in the Flora of Victoria
View information and occurrences of Vinca major on the Atlas of Living Australia