''Catharanthus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (, from '' Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison. Notable mem ...

. Like the genus ''

Vinca ''Vinca'' (; Latin: ''vincire'' "to bind, fetter") is an Old World genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, The English name periwinkle is shared with the related genus '' Catharanthus'' (and with the mollusc '' Littorina littorea'') ...

'', they are known commonly as periwinkles. It is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

and a

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or undershrub is either a small shrub (e.g. prostrate shrubs) or a perennial that is largely herbaceous but slightly woody at the base (e.g. garden pink and florist's chrysanthemum). The term is often interch ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

, with the exception of the Catharanthus pusillius species, which is found in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. The most widely known species is Catharanthus roseus due to its renowned usage in traditional and modern medicine, specifically, as a source of cancer-treating

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

chemicals.

Morphology

The plants of Catharanthus are

s that are

by, often with prostrate or erect stems that branch from the base of the plant. The

was first described in 1837 by

George Don George Don (29 April 1798 – 25 February 1856) was a Scottish botanist and plant collector. Life and career George Don was born at Doo Hillock, Forfar, Angus, Scotland on 29 April 1798 to Caroline Clementina Stuart and George Don (b.1756), pr ...

. He characterized the plants by the morphological features of simple, opposite, or almost oppositely arranged leaves. The flowers are usually solitary in the leaf axils. Each has a calyx with five long, narrow lobes and a corolla with a tubular throat and five lobes that can be twisted. Fruits are commonly made up of two divergent follicles that hold many seeds. The corolla varies in color shades of pink, purple, and white. There are nine known

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

. Eight are

,''Catharanthus''.
Madagascar Catalogue. eFloras. though one, '' C. roseus'', is widely

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

around the world. The ninth species, ''C. pusillus'', is native to

and

. The plant, as it has been observed up to this point, can inhabit up to 2000 m elevation, particularly those seen in the central plateau mountains. It has also been mentioned that the

is closely associated with the genus

Amsonia ''Amsonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Apocynum, dogbane family, Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1788. It is native primarily to North America with one species in East Asia and another in the eastern Mediterranean. It was ...

, but possesses distinct differences such as Catharanthus grows mostly solitary or in pairs, while

grows in groups.

Historical Taxonomy

The genus has undergone several taxonomic revisions since it was classified initially. The

was originally described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

in 1753 with the

Vinca rosea (known now as Catharanthus roseus). Along with V. rosea, he distinguished two other species,

Vinca major ''Vinca major'', with the common names bigleaf periwinkle, large periwinkle, greater periwinkle and blue periwinkle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae, native to the western Mediterranean. Growing to tall and spreading i ...

and

Vinca minor ''Vinca minor'' (common names lesser periwinkle or dwarf periwinkle) is a species of flowering plant in the dogbane family, native to central and southern Europe. Other vernacular names used in cultivation include small periwinkle, common peri ...

. In 1828,

Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach (Dresden, 3 January 1823 – Hamburg, 6 May 1889) was a botanist and the foremost Germany, German orchidologist of the 19th century. His father Ludwig Reichenbach, Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach (author of ''Ico ...

proposed a separation of V. rosea with the new name of Lochnera. However, the distinction and descriptions he intended to back up his proposal were not widely accepted in the world of

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and

taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...

. In 1838, it became an accepted proposition and name as Stephen Endlicher made a clear and valid distinction, which includes how Catharanthus is filiform while

is narrowly

obconic In botany, an obconic is an inverted cone shape. The term is most frequently applied to certain fruit or hypanthium structures with the apical end attached to the stem; however, less frequently the usage may apply to the pistil structure. In the ca ...

al, Catharanthus is a

(a plant living longer than two years)

or undershrub erect or

procumbent This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

, while

is a

herb ascending. Around the same time,

had first described his findings and formally proposed a new

, Catharanthus. This was based on differences in morphological characteristics of other species in the

genus and V. rosea. In 1844,

Augustin Pyramus de Candolle Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss people, Swiss botany, botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple ...

further revised the classification of the

, dividing

into three sections: Lochnera, containing C. roseus, C. coriaceous, C. lanceus, C. longifolius, C. trichophyllus, and C. ovalis. C. pusillus was distinguished into a different section called Cupa Veela. After these taxonomic revisions and contributions occurred, the name Catharanthus was acknowledged more. In 1949, Pierre Pichon added C. scitulus to the Lochnera section and renamed it Androyella. More recently, in 2015, the genus was expanded further with the discovery of the species Catharanthus makayensis by Lucile Allorge, Peter B. Phillips on, and Richardson Razakamalala. C. roseus and C. trichophyllus are also known as sadabahar (in

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

) and Chang Chung Hua (in Chinese). The name ''Catharanthus'' comes from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

for "pure flower".''Catharanthus''.
The Jepson eFlora 2013.

Species Descriptions

Catharanthus coriaceous Markgr. - Madagascar

C. coriaceous is typically found in the northern areas or the central plateau of

, preferring a dry, rocky environment. The plants are relatively small at full growth (hardly ever grown more than 30 cm tall). The one-flowered plant has leaves that are 30mm long or less but are longer than the

internodes A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant, the other being the root. It supports leaves, flowers and fruits, transports water and dissolved substances between the roots and the shoots in the xylem and phloem, engages in pho ...

. The follicles are erect or pedunculate, and the corolla is pink.

Catharanthus lanceus (Bojer ex A.DC.) Pichon - Madagascar

Commonly found in or on the central Plateau, preference for humid environments. The plant's leaves are relatively small, being shorter than the

. Unlike other species, C. lanceus branches out many a times and has several rosettes or flowers. Research has been conducted, isolating two alkaloids found in the root: Lanceine and Vinosidine.

Catharanthus longifolius (Pichon) Pichon - Madagascar

Usually found in the mountainous areas in the southeast and northern areas of

. Named after its leaf shape, which is

lanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...

as it grows. It is relatively small, with leaves being less then 9 mm wide. The corolla is pink with a yellow eye, and the lobes are white closest to the base. C. longifolius contains similar compound

s as C. roseus such as Cathafoline, similar to the structure of Serpentine and Vindolinine.

Catharanthus Makayensis (L. Allorge, Phillipson on, & Razakamal.) - Madagascar

The newest species of the genus, C. makayensis, was discovered in 2015 by Mohamed Mezaga, Lucile Allorge, Peter B. Phillipson, and Richardson Razakamalala. It differed from other species in the genus with its hexangular cross-section stems. It has smaller leaves (2 mm long) and a Corolla with a magenta eye and white lobes. It grows up to 60 cm tall. Only 2 samples have been found in the Makay Massif area in sandy soil and moist areas along river banks up to 400–600 m elevation.

Catharanthus ovalis Markgr. - Madagascar

C. ovalis is found in the southern areas of the Central Plateau and the southwest of

. The plant has

glabrous Glabrousness () is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes, or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of a plant or animal, or be due to loss because of a physical condition, ...

stems and leaves with an oval shape. The leaves are sessile (petiole less than 1 mm long) and the corolla has a white or yellow eye and pink lobes.

Catharanthus pusillus (Murray) G. Don. - India, Sri Lanka, Western Himalayas

Unlike other species in the genus, C. pusillus is a species of Catharanthus that is found in

and

and can be referred to as Sangkhi, Ran-kel, or Tiloni in Marathi, and many others. It is the smallest of the genus and is sometimes referred to as "Tiny Periwinkle" as well, growing up to 20 cm tall. The corolla is white with a yellow eye and the

corolla tube Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''coroll ...

can grow up to 11 mm long.

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don. - Madagascar Periwinkle, old-maid, rosy Periwinkle, pink Periwinkle - Madagascar; naturalized in Italy, S Asia, Australia, S United States, Central America, India and various oceanic islands

The most widely known species, native to

, particularly the south-east and throughout the tropics, has been

and cultivated globally. The plant is relatively large (30–100 cm) at full growth. The corolla is normally pink with a purple eye or white with a yellow eye.

Catharanthus scitulus (Pichon) Pichon - Madagascar

C. scitulus inhabits the sub-arid south in low-lying, sandy

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

. Stems spread into pseudo-dichotomous branching, coming together to form a rosette at each node. Similar to C. lanceus, the plant branches out more than the other species. The corolla is pink or violet at the lobes.

Catharanthus trichophyllus (Baker) Pichon - Madagascar. Also known as Sadabahar or Baramasi in India.

C. trichophyllus is found throughout the northern areas of

and extends down the east coast. It's corolla has reddish-pink lobes with a purple eye. Additionally, it has fruits that grow spirally. It's leaves are sub-sessile (petiole less than 1 mm long). C. trichophyllus contains

s such as

Vinblastine Vinblastine, sold under the brand name Velban among others, is a chemotherapy medication, typically used with other medications, to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-small-cell lung cancer, bladder canc ...

Vincristine Vincristine, also known as leurocristine and sold under the brand name Oncovin among others, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, Hodgkin lym ...

, Ajmalicine, etc. These alkaloids are also found in C. roseus and used to treat

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

high blood pressure Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms itself. It is, however, a major ri ...

, and many other illnesses.

Uses

''In the 1950s, Catharanthus roseus'', known formerly as ''Vinca rosea'', was heavily researched when

, and various countries in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

used it for its medicinal properties. It is a main source of ''vinca'' alkaloids, now sometimes called catharanthus alkaloids. The plant produces about 130 of these compounds, including

vinblastine Vinblastine, sold under the brand name Velban among others, is a chemotherapy medication, typically used with other medications, to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-small-cell lung cancer, bladder canc ...

and

vincristine Vincristine, also known as leurocristine and sold under the brand name Oncovin among others, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, Hodgkin lym ...

, two drugs used to treat cancer. These alkaloids are typically used to treat cancer, such as

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

, and

testicular cancer Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. Symptoms may include a lump in the testicle or swelling or pain in the scrotum. Treatment may result in infertility. Risk factors include an c ...

. A less commonly known alkaloid that the species holds is Ajmalicine (found in the

root In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...

), used to treat high blood pressure/

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

. Traditionally, the medicinal properties of the plant extend to treating

hyperglycemia Hyperglycemia is a condition where unusually high amount of glucose is present in blood. It is defined as blood glucose level exceeding 6.9 mmol/L (125 mg/dL) after fasting for 8 hours or 10 mmol/L (180 mg/dL) 2 hours after eating. Blood gluc ...

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

hypertension Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a Chronic condition, long-term Disease, medical condition in which the blood pressure in the artery, arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms i ...

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

, various infections, and many more. The species was also briefly referenced when trying to find

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

treatment through the extraction and usage of

Jasmonic acid Jasmonic acid (JA) is an organic compound found in several plants including jasmine. The molecule is a member of the jasmonate class of plant hormones. It is biosynthesized from linolenic acid by the octadecanoid pathway. It was first isolated ...

, Methylester, Peniclovir, and Putamonoxin B and D. Other traditional medicine uses the plant for leaf juice application on bee and wasp stings in

, eye wash for infants with flower extract in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, treat

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, ease sore throats and laryngitis in

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. ''Many of the species, primarily Catharanthus roseus,'' is also cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

in gardens. Several

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s have been bred to produce flowers in many shades of pink, red, lilac, and white, or in light shades with dark throats.''Catharanthus roseus''.
Missouri Botanical Garden. ;

Species

# ''

Catharanthus coriaceus ''Catharanthus coriaceus'' is a species of flowering plant in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. It is endemic to Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and ...

'' Markgr. – Madagascar # '' Catharanthus lanceus'' (Bojer ex A.DC.) Pichon – Madagascar # '' Catharanthus longifolius'' (Pichon) Pichon – Madagascar # '' Catharanthus ovalis'' Markgr. – Madagascar # '' Catharanthus pusillus'' (Murray) G.Don. – India, Sri Lanka, Western Himalayas # '' Catharanthus roseus'' (L.) G.Don. – Madagascar periwinkle, old-maid, rosy periwinkle, pink periwinkle – Madagascar; naturalized in Italy, S Asia, Australia, S United States, Central America, India and various oceanic islands # '' Catharanthus scitulus'' (Pichon) Pichon – Madagascar # '' Catharanthus trichophyllus'' (Baker) Pichon – Madagascar. It is also known as Sadabahar or Baramasi in India.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Apocynaceae genera