Madagascar periwinkle
Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don
Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) is a small shrub of the dogbane family with white to pink five-petalled flowers; it yields the anticancer drugs vincristine and vinblastine; native to Madagascar, widely grown as an ornamental.
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Madagascar periwinkle — seedsMadagascar periwinkle — flowering plant
Madagascar periwinkle — leaves
Madagascar periwinkle — pink flower
Madagascar periwinkle — pair of follicles
Madagascar periwinkle — herbarium specimen (stems, leaves, roots)Madagascar periwinkle — seedsMadagascar periwinkle — flowering plantLife cycle
From seed to productPlant
Evergreen herb/small shrub up to ~1 m, much branched, flowering nearly year-round.
Leaves
Opposite oval-to-oblong leaves, glossy, hairless, rich in alkaloids.
Flower
Flowers white to deep pink with a red centre, 5 lobes, 2–5 cm across.
Fruit & seed
A pair of follicles 2–4 cm long with 12–20 small seeds.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- Madagascar (native, endemic)25%
- India & South Asia20%
- Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia)20%
- Americas (Central–South America, Caribbean)20%
- Mainland Africa & Australia15%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- Water60%
- Alkaloids (vincristine, vinblastine, ajmalicine)Anti-cancer & circulatory actives15%
- Flavonoids8%
- Tannins6%
- Protein5%
- Fibre & minerals6%
Uses
- Anti-cancer medicine: the leaf alkaloids vincristine (Oncovin) and vinblastine (Velban) are used in chemotherapy for childhood acute leukaemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, testicular cancer and others
- Other medicine: ajmalicine supports circulation and lowers blood pressure; in folk medicine (Madagascar, India, China) leaves and roots treat diabetes, wounds and sore throat
- Ornamental: grown as bedding, borders and pot plants; many colours (white, pink, red, purple), flowering almost year-round, tolerant of sun and drought
- Research & propagation: tissue and cell culture to produce alkaloids; easily propagated by cuttings or seed
Properties
- Form
- Small evergreen shrub/herb
- Product
- Anti-cancer alkaloids (vincristine/vinblastine); ornamental
- Hallmark
- Five-petalled white–pink flowers with a red eye, year-round
- Uses
- Medicinal, ornamental
Habitat & conservation
Madagascar periwinkle prefers full sun to part shade and light, well-drained soil; it tolerates drought and some salinity, so it is widely planted in borders, pots and coastal gardens. Native to Madagascar, it is now naturalised and cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics, where it may escape along roadsides and wasteland.
Conservation
Catharanthus roseus is native and endemic to Madagascar, where wild populations decline through habitat loss (forest clearance for agriculture). However, because it is widely cultivated as an ornamental and has a pantropical distribution, the species is not globally threatened — classified Least Concern (LC). Apocynaceae, genus Catharanthus.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don — Kew Science, 2026
- 2Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle) — description, alkaloids, uses, distribution — English Wikipedia, 2026
- 3Dừa cạn (Catharanthus roseus) — đặc điểm, thành phần hóa học, công dụng — Vietnamese Wikipedia, 2026
- 4长春花 Catharanthus roseus — 形態、生物鹼與用途 — Chinese Wikipedia, 2026
- 5Nguồn ảnh: Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0); Zishan (CC BY-SA 4.0); Md. Siddiq Hasan2 (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: Micael 106 (CC BY-SA 3.0); Didier Descouens (CC BY-SA 4.0); Md. Ashshahril Labib (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,