Vinca, pronounced /ˈvɪŋkə/, from Latin vincire: "to bind, fetter", formerly known as pervinca, is a genus of five species in the family Apocynaceae, native to Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia. The common name periwinkle is shared with the related genus Catharanthus (and also with the common seashore mollusc, Littorina littorea).
