Madagascar Periwinkle

Description:

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don, commonly known as the Madagascar periwinkle, of fanily Apocynaceae, is a species of Catharanthus, native and endemic to Madagascar. It is an evergreen subshrub or herbaceous plant growing to 1 m tall. The leaves are oval to oblong, 2.5–9 cm long and 1–3.5 cm broad, glossy green, hairless, with a pale midrib and a short petiole 1–1.8 cm long; they are arranged in opposite pairs. The flowers are white to dark pink with a darker red centre, with a basal tube 2.5–3 cm long and a corolla 2–5 cm diameter with five petal-like lobes.

Habitat:

Backyard garden.

Notes:

Catharanthus (Madagascar Periwinkle) is a genus of eight species of herbaceous perennial plants, seven endemic to the island of Madagascar, the eighth native to the Indian subcontinent in southern Asia . C. roseus goes by its common name "sadabahar" or "sadaphuli" (perennially flowering) in parts of Western India. Other English names occasionally used include Cape periwinkle, rose periwinkle, rosy periwinkle, and "old-maid".