Vinca
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Vinca (Template:IPAc-en;<ref>Stearn, W. T. (1983). Botanical Latin ed. 3. David & Charles Template:ISBN.</ref> Latin: vincire "to bind, fetter") is an Old World genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, The English name periwinkle is shared with the related genus Catharanthus (and with the mollusc Littorina littorea). Some Vinca species are cultivated but have also spread invasively. Additionally, some species have medicinal uses. The most widespread species is Vinca minor.
DescriptionEdit
Vinca plants are subshrubs or herbaceous, and have slender trailing stems Template:Convert long but not growing more than Template:Convert above ground; the stems frequently take root where they touch the ground, enabling the plant to spread widely. The leaves are opposite, simple broad lanceolate to ovate, Template:Convert long and Template:Convert broad; they are evergreen in four species, but deciduous in the herbaceous V. herbacea, which dies back to the root system in winter.<ref name="Blamey">Blamey, M., & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. Hodder & Stoughton.</ref><ref name="Huxley">Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening 4: 664-665. Macmillan.</ref>
The flowers, produced through most of the growing season, are salverform (like those of Phlox), simple, Template:Convert broad, with five usually violet (occasionally white) petals joined together at the base to form a tube. The fruit consists of a pair of divergent follicles; the dry fruit dehisces along one rupture site to release seeds.<ref name="Blamey"/><ref name="Huxley"/>
SpeciesEdit
Accepted species:<ref name="u" />
- Vinca difformis Pourr. – Azores, western and central Mediterranean
- Vinca erecta Regel & Schmalh. – Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
- Vinca herbacea Waldst. & Kit. – central, eastern and southeastern Europe; Middle East
- Vinca ispartensis Koyuncu & Ekşi – Turkey<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Vinca major L. – southern Europe, Turkey, Syria, Caucasus; introduced to and established in New Zealand, California, British Isles, central Europe, Ukraine, North Africa, south China, Canary Islands, Madeira, North America,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Vinca minor L. – central and southeastern Europe, Ukraine, Caucasus; introduced to and established in British Isles, Scandinavia, Portugal, Turkey, south China, North America,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Vinca soneri Koyuncu – Turkey
Distribution and habitatEdit
The genus is native to Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia.<ref>Flora Europaea: Vinca</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Flora of Pakistan: Vinca</ref><ref>Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Vinca included photos plus European distribution maps</ref>
EcologyEdit
Vinca major and Vinca minor may be invasive in some regions where they are introduced species because the rapid spreading chokes out native plant species and alters habitats. Areas affected include parts of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States, especially coastal California.<ref>Global Compendium of Weeds: Vinca major</ref><ref>Global Compendium of Weeds: Vinca minor</ref>
CultivationEdit
Vinca major and V. minor are extensively cultivated as a flowering evergreen ornamental plant. Because the plants are low and spread quickly, they are often used as groundcover in garden landscapes and container gardens. They are also traditionally used in older cemeteries as an evergreen maintenance-free ground cover.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web
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Medicinal usesEdit
The vinca alkaloids include at least 86 alkaloids extracted from plants in the genus Vinca.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name = Pharmacognosy>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The chemotherapy agent vincristine is extracted from a closely related species, Catharanthus roseus,<ref name="TopicsCurrentChem" /><ref name="MoleculesReview">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and is used to treat some leukemias,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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}}</ref> as well as several other types of cancer and some non-cancerous conditions. Vinblastine is a chemical analogue of vincristine<ref name = Pharmacognosy /><ref name = MoleculesReview /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and is also used to treat various forms of cancer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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}}</ref> Dimeric alkaloids such as vincristine and vinblastine are produced by the coupling the smaller indole alkaloids vindoline and catharanthine.<ref name = Pharmacognosy /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In addition, the nootropic agent vincamine is derived from V. minor. Vinorelbine, a newer semi-synthetic chemotherapeutic agent, is used in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer<ref name = MoleculesReview /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and is prepared either from the natural products leurosine <ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> or catharanthine and vindoline,<ref name = MoleculesReview /><ref name = anhydro2vinorelbine>Template:Cite journal</ref> in both cases by first preparing anhydrovinblastine.<ref name = TopicsCurrentChem>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name = MoleculesReview /><ref name = anhydro2vinorelbine />