Catharanthus roseus

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don

Family     : Apocynaceae 

Common Name  :ശവംനാറിപ്പൂ(Mal)

        सदाबहार (Hin)

                                  Rose periwinkle (Eng)

Periwinkle is a happy-go-lucky small subshrub. It grows in adverse conditions, rain, heat, dust. It can be quite often seen growing out of cervices of walls. It is an evergreen subshrub or herbaceous plant growing 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 leaf-stalk 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 flower 2–5 cm diameter with five petal-like lobes. 

Perennial woody herbs; young stems, leaves and calyx puberulous. Leaves simple, opposite, decussate, 3-6 x 1.5-2.5 cm, elliptic-obovate, apex obtuse or rounded, base cuneate, glabrous; lateral nerves c. 10 pairs, chartaceous; petiole to 1.3 cm long. Flowers axillary, solitary or paired, shortly pedicellate. Calyx-lobes 5, subequal, 3-5 mm long, subulate. Corolla pink or white, red, purple, tube 2-3 cm long, pubescent without; lobes 5, 1.5-2 x c. 1.5 cm, triangular-obovate, obtuse. Stamens 5, included. Ovary ca 4 mm long; style to 3 cm long. Follicles 2-3 x 0.2-0.3 cm, linear, obtuse or acute at apex, puberulous; seeds many, black.