This is going to sound silly but can someone help my find the seeds on my vinca's? I joined a seed swap and would love to be able to add vinca seeds to my swap list. Several years ago I dug up just 3 plants from my sons yard and transplanted them in my front flowerbed. They seem to be very happy in their new home and multiplied to a couple hundred. I have since transplanted several to different areas of my yard. But I have just dug up the new suckers that have escaped the flower bed. I have actually looked for seed but can't seem to find any. and yes they do bloom, especially in the cooler weather. its pretty neat seeing flowers blooming through a layer of snow. Thanks for any help with this.

The easiest way to collect vinca seeds is to put some white paper next/under plant and shake the plant. The little black "coarse pepper flakes" are the seeds. Slightly larger than petunia or snap dragon seeds. Unfortunately unlike those other flowers, vincas do not have a pod that stays together. May joy surround you!

Thank you so much Sharon. You are right I was looking for some sort of seed pod and because they have been so prolific in multiplying (thick) I just never saw the seeds.

For future reference, the "Seeds Forum" always has these websites listed in a Sticky Thread:
The thread "The Ultimate Resource for Seed Collectors" in Seeds forum

The first one has photos of the seeds themselves, maybe some pod photos.

Check it out. AWESOME!!
http://theseedsite.co.uk/db1.h...

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http://www.frsa.org/plateindex...

Example
http://www.frsa.org/Seedimages...

Karen

The pods are long and narrow, relatively speaking, and look like mini green bean pods. They form in pairs, but as they mature they separate. The seeds are dispersed as soon as the pod is near dry, so you have to be timely to succeed. Once you see them the first time they are unmistakable.

I found this answer I posted to the same question on Garden Web in 2007 while looking for a photo I thought I had of the seed pods. Alas, the photo is gone. I must have deleted it
"If you are referring to annual Vinca, Catharanthus roseus, you will find the seed pods along the stem under the current blossoms, similar to the way Cleome species form elongated seedpods, if you have ever collected those.
The seeds are in slender, cigar shaped cylinders that start out green and turn brown and split to disperse black seeds. You may have to keep an eye out so that you can harvest as soon as they brown up. Otherwise the seedpods will split and you will miss the opportunity to collect the seeds. They reliably self sow in SE Kentucky."

I tried Googling
vinca seed pods and
what do vinca seeds look like and
what do vinca pods look like

The Google Images were as helpful as any of the articles I scanned.

Alana said it more clearly than those articles:
"slender, cigar shaped cylinders " under the blossoms.

One article claimed that the Vinca bloom petals would DROP before the pod opened, but I don't know about that.

Now I am really confused. I have never found any type of pods on what I have been calling Vinca's . I will take some photos and post here tomorrow. Watch them not even be vincad at all. How will I ever live it down? Now I won't be able to sleep at all.

Do yours look like the images here?
https://www.bing.com/images/se...

Colleen, blame the nomenclature people for changing names so often!

Between common name shaving almost no meaning at all, and the Latin names changing every few years, who's to know whether a gardener was wrong about the plant, or just confused by naming conventions?

(P.S. My system for identifying plants is to look at the seed packet.)

OK maybe some pictures will clear up the mystery. This is what I have, regular and varigated. They don't currently have any flowers but when they do they are blue, 4 petals about 1" across.

Boy my memory is bad, the flowers have 5 petals just like this

Colleen-- I thought you meant periwinkle/vinca flower plants, not the ground cover. Obviously my method for collecting seeds is for the other kind. As with any flower you would find the seeds after flowering, so maybe there are not any seed pods left on them to find now. May you be blessed with a good night's sleep!

Thank you want Althea, my varigayed one look like they are getting ready to bloom. I will check them carefully if they do. I know that to most of you this is probably a very common flower but I just love them and having a plant that stays green all year long is never a bad thing is it?

Agoo, you called it correctly to begin, I've never tried to save seeds from Vinca major. The seed pods I described are from Cartharanthus roseus.

Alana, thank you for the info. I will continue to watch for seeds, I would love to share them with others