Catharanthus roseus

Catharanthus_roseus.JPG

NAME:  Catharanthus roseus

FAMILY: Apocynaceae

COMMON NAMES: Madagascar periwinkle, rose periwinkle, rosy periwinkle

LOCAL NAMES: kanniedood ("cannot kill")

USEFUL PART(s): roots and shoots

GENERAL USES:

  • Curing several diseases

  • Ornamental

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION

  • Madagascar

  • South Africa

  • Australia

  • Bengali

WHY IS IT GREEN?

Catharanthus roseus medicinal values include

  • Cures Malaria

  • Diabetes

  • Hodgkin's lymphoma.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

  • C. roseus can be extremely toxic if consumed orally by humans

FUN FACT

  • The Afrikaans name "kanniedood" ("cannot kill") is often used in South Africa

  • Periwinkles are of two types - Foliage periwinkle (which often grows wild on cliffs) and Annual periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus).

FURTHER READINGS

  • "Catharanthus roseus". Orpheus Island Research Station – James Cook University. Retrieved 2 November 2015.

  • "Factsheet – Catharanthus roseus". Queensland Government. Retrieved 2 November 2015.

  • "RHS Plantfinder - Catharanthus roseus". Retrieved 12 January 2018.

  • "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 16. Retrieved 24 January 2018.

  • van Der Heijden, Robert; Jacobs, Denise I.; Snoeijer, Wim; Hallard, Didier; Verpoorte, Robert (2004). "The Catharanthus alkaloids: Pharmacognosy and biotechnology". Current Medicinal Chemistry. 11 (5): 607–628. doi:10.2174/0929867043455846. PMID 15032608.

  • Karasov, Corliss (2001). "Who Reaps the Benefits of Biodiversity?". Environmental Health Perspectives. 109 (12): A582–A587. doi:10.2307/3454734. JSTOR 3454734. PMC 1240518. PMID 11748021.

  • Marcone, C.; Ragozzino, A.; Seemuller, E. (1997). "Dodder transmission of alder yellows phytoplasma to the experimental host Catharanthus roseus (periwinkle)". Forest Pathology. 27 (6): 347–350. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0329.1997.tb01449.x.