A white colored, Catharanthus Roseus flower

''Catharanthus roseus'', commonly known as bright eyes, Cape periwinkle, graveyard plant, Madagascar periwinkle, old maid, pink periwinkle, rose periwinkle, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

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 Members ...

. It is native and

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found else ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...

, but grown elsewhere as an ornamental and medicinal plant. It is a source of the drugs

vincristine Vincristine, also known as leurocristine and marketed 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's ...

and vinblastine, used to treat cancer. It was formerly included in the genus '' Vinca'' as ''Vinca rosea''. It has many vernacular names among which are ''arivotaombelona'' or ''rivotambelona'', ''tonga'', ''tongatse'' or ''trongatse'', ''tsimatiririnina'', and ''vonenina''.

Synonyms

Two varieties are recognized * ''Catharanthus roseus'' var. ''roseus'' : Synonymy for this variety ::''Catharanthus roseus'' var. ''angustus'' Steenis ex Bakhuizen f. :: ''Catharanthus roseus'' var. ''albus'' G.Don G.Don, Gen. Hist. 4(1): 95. 1837. :: ''Catharanthus roseus'' var. ''occellatus'' G.Don :: ''Catharanthus roseus'' var. ''nanus'' Markgr. :: ''Lochnera rosea f. alba'' (G.Don) Woodson :: ''Lochnera rosea'' var. ''ocellata'' (G.Don) Woodson * ''Catharanthus roseus var''. ''angustus'' (Steenis) Bakh. f. : Synonymy for this variety :: ''Catharanthus roseus'' var. ''nanus'' Markgr. :: ''Lochnera rosea'' var. ''angusta'' Steenis

Description

''Catharanthus roseus'' is an evergreen subshrub or

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

plant growing tall. The leaves are oval to oblong, long and wide, glossy green, hairless, with a pale midrib and a short petiole long; they are arranged in opposite pairs. The flowers range from white with a yellow or red center to dark pink with a darker red center, with a basal tube long and a

corolla Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name *Corolla (headgear) A ''corolla'' is an ancient headdress in the form of a small circlet or crown.follicles long and wide.Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan .Flora of China
''Catharanthus roseus''
/ref>College of Micronesia

/ref>Jepson Flora
''Catharanthus roseus''
/ref>

Ecology

In the wild, ''C. roseus'' is an endangered plant; the main cause of decline is habitat destruction by

slash and burn Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed veget ...

agriculture.DrugDigest
''Catharanthus roseus''
It is also, however, widely cultivated and is

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

in subtropical and tropical areas of the world such as Australia,

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...

, India,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, and the United States. It is so well adapted to growth in Australia that it is listed as a noxious weed in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

and the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding township#Aust ...

, and also in parts of eastern Queensland. Catharanthus roseus 105

Cultivation

As an ornamental plant, it is appreciated for its hardiness in dry and nutritionally deficient conditions, popular in subtropical

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

s where temperatures never fall below , and as a warm-season

bedding plant In horticulture, bedding is temporary planting of fast-growing plants into flower beds to create colourful displays, during spring, summer or winter. Plants used for bedding are generally annuals, biennials or tender perennials; succulents are ga ...

in temperate gardens. It is noted for its long flowering period, throughout the year in tropical conditions, and from spring to late autumn, in warm temperate climates. Full sun and well-drained soil are preferred. Numerous

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s have been selected, for variation in flower colour (white, mauve, peach, scarlet, and reddish-orange), and also for tolerance of cooler growing conditions in temperate regions. Notable cultivars include 'Albus' (white flowers), 'Grape Cooler' (rose-pink; cool-tolerant), the Ocellatus Group (various colours), and 'Peppermint Cooler' (white with a red centre; cool-tolerant). In the U.S. it often remains identified as "Vinca" although botanists have shifted its identification and it often can be seen growing along roadsides in the south. In the United Kingdom it has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

’s

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

(confirmed 2017).

Uses

Traditional

The species has long been cultivated for

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remedie ...

, as it can be traced back to 2600 BC Mesopotamia. In

Ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

(Indian traditional medicine) the extracts of its roots and shoots, although poisonous, are used against several diseases. In

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of acti ...

, extracts from it have been used against numerous diseases, including

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. ...

, and Hodgkin's lymphoma. In the 1950s, vinca alkaloids, including vinblastine and

, were isolated from ''Catharanthus roseus'' while screening for anti-diabetic drugs. This chance discovery led to increased research into the chemotherapeutic effects of vinblastine and vincristine. Conflict between historical indigenous use, and

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

from 2001 on ''C. roseus''-derived drugs by western pharmaceutical companies, without compensation, has led to accusations of

biopiracy Biopiracy (also known as scientific colonialism) is defined as the unauthorized appropriation of knowledge and genetic resources of farming and indigenous communities by individuals or institutions seeking exclusive monopoly control through patent ...

Medicinal

Vinblastine and

chemotherapy medication Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothera ...

s used to treat several types of cancers, are found in the plant and are

biosynthesis Biosynthesis is a multi-step, enzyme-catalyzed process where substrates are converted into more complex products in living organisms. In biosynthesis, simple compounds are modified, converted into other compounds, or joined to form macromolecul ...

ed from the coupling of the alkaloids

catharanthine Catharanthine is a terpene indole alkaloid produced by the medicinal plant ''Catharanthus roseus'' and ''Tabernaemontana divaricata''. Catharanthine is derived from strictosidine, but the exact mechanism by which this happens is currently unknown ...

and

vindoline Vindoline is a chemical precursor to vinblastine. Vindoline is formed through biosynthesis from Tabersonine. See also * Lochnericine Lochnericine is a major monoterpene indole alkaloid present in the roots of ''Catharanthus roseus''. It is al ...

. The newer semi-synthetic chemotherapeutic agent vinorelbine, used in the treatment of

non-small-cell lung cancer Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is any type of epithelial lung cancer other than small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). NSCLC accounts for about 85% of all lung cancers. As a class, NSCLCs are relatively insensitive to chemotherapy, compared to s ...

, can be prepared either from vindoline and catharanthine or from the ''vinca'' alkaloid leurosine, in both cases via anhydrovinblastine. The insulin-stimulating vincoline has been isolated from the plant. A Catharanthus Roseus bush in Hyderabad, Pakistan

A Catharanthus Roseus bush in Hyderabad, Pakistan

Research

Despite the medical importance and wide use, the desired

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of simila ...

s (vinblastine and vincristine) are naturally produced at very low yields. Additionally, it is complex and costly to synthesize the desired products in a lab, resulting in difficulty satisfying the demand and a need for overproduction. Treatment of the plant with

phytohormones Plant hormone (or phytohormones) are signal molecules, produced within plants, that occur in extremely low concentrations. Plant hormones control all aspects of plant growth and development, from embryogenesis, the regulation of organ size, ...

, such as

salicylic acid Salicylic acid is an organic compound with the formula HOC6H4CO2H. A colorless, bitter-tasting solid, it is a precursor to and a metabolite of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). It is a plant hormone, and has been listed by the EPA Toxic Substa ...

and

methyl jasmonate Methyl jasmonate (abbreviated MeJA) is a volatile organic compound used in plant defense and many diverse developmental pathways such as seed germination, root growth, flowering, fruit ripening, and senescence. Methyl jasmonate is derived from ...

, have been shown to trigger defense mechanisms and overproduce downstream alkaloids. Studies using this technique vary in growth conditions, choice of phytohormone, and location of treatment. Concurrently, there are various efforts to map the biosynthetic pathway producing the alkaloids to find a direct path to overproduction via

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including ...

. ''C. roseus'' is used in

plant pathology Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, ...

as an experimental host for phytoplasmas. This is because it is easy to infect with a large majority of phytoplasmas, and also often has very distinctive symptoms such as phyllody and significantly reduced leaf size.

Biology

Rosinidin is the pink anthocyanidin pigment found in the flowers of ''C. roseus''. Lochnericine is a major alkaloid in roots.

Toxicity

''C. roseus'' can be extremely toxic if consumed orally by humans, and is cited (under its synonym ''Vinca rosea'') in the

Louisiana State Act 159 Signed into law June 28, 2005, and effective August 8, 2005, Louisiana State Act No 159 found in, Louisiana RS 40:989.1, outlawed the cultivation, possession or sale of 40 named plants defined as hallucinogenic in the state of Louisiana, US. House ...

. All parts of the plant are poisonous. On consumption, symptoms consist of mild stomach cramps, cardiac complications,

hypotension Hypotension is low blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. Blood pressure is indicated by two numbers, the systolic blood pressure (the top number) and the di ...

, systematic paralysis eventually leading to death. According to French botanist

Pierre Boiteau Pierre Louis Boiteau (3 December 1911 – 1 September 1980) was a French botanist. References 20th-century French botanists 1911 births 1980 deaths Deaths from cancer in France {{France-scientist-stub ...

, its poisonous properties are made known along generations of

Malagasy people The Malagasy (french: Malgache) are an Austronesian-speaking African ethnic group native to the island country of Madagascar. Traditionally, the population have been divided by subgroups (tribes or ethnicities). Examples include "Highlander ...

as a poison consumed in ordeal trials, even before the tangena fruit was used. This lent the flower one of its names ''vonenina'', from mg, vony enina meaning "flower of remorse".

Gallery

File:Madagascar periwinkle bdl8.jpg, Purple ''Catharanthus roseus'' File:Catharanthus roseus grown in a balcony.jpg, This one was grown in Bangladesh as a ornamental plant in a flower tub in the balcony of a house File:Madagascar periwinkle bdl2.jpg, Off-white ''Catharanthus roseus'' File:Madagascar periwinkle bdl1.jpg, White ''Catharanthus roseus'' File:Madagascar periwinkle bdl0.jpg, Red ''Catharanthus roseus'' File:Catharanthus roseus Madagascar periwinkle White.JPG, White rosy periwinkle File:Catharanthus roseus in Kerala.jpeg, Catharanthus roseus in Kerala File:Madagascar periwinkle bdl.jpg, Purple ''Catharanthus roseus'' File:Vinca Catharanthus roseus in Bangladesh.JPG, ''Vinca'' From a garden at

Cox's Bazar Cox's Bazar (; bn, কক্সবাজার, Kôksbajar; ) is a city, fishing port, tourism centre, and district headquarters in Southeastern Bangladesh. It is located south of the city of Chittagong. Cox's Bazar is also known by the n ...

, Bangladesh File:Rose Periwinkle.jpg, Catharanthus roseus in Ishwardi, Bangladesh File:Catharanthus roseus flower bud, Burdwan, West Bengal, India 12 09 2012.JPG, Flower bud in

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

, India File:Nithyaklalyani.jpg, Garden Plant in India File:Nayantara.jpg, Common garden plant in India File:Catharanthus roseus-1.jpg, Catharanthus roseus in Pakistan File:Catharanthus roseus Malaysia.jpg, Grown in Malaysia File:Nithyakalyani India.jpg, Flower plant raised in India temples File:Catharanthus roseus MHNT.BOT.2005.0962.jpg, Fruits and seeds File:Matured seeds of Madagascar Periwinkle.jpg, Matured fruits of Madagascar Periwinkle File:Immature seeds of Madagascar periwinkle.jpg, Immature fruits of Madagascar periwinkle File:Catharanthus roseus Pacifica Burgundy Halo-Madagascar Periwinkle.JPG, Pacifica Burgundy Halo – Madagascar Periwinkle File:Catharanthus roseus-Red flowers of Madagascar Periwinkle 2.JPG, Red cultivar of Madagascar Periwinkle File:Catharanthus Periwinkle.jpg, Potted Plant in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

File:Pollens of Catharanthus roseus.jpg, Anther

References

External links

* * {{Authority control

roseus Roseus is a Latin adjective meaning rose, rosy or pink. Species and cultivars * Roseus, a rosemary cultivar * Roseus or Pink Snow, an early crocus (''Crocus tommasinianus'') cultivar See also * Rosea (disambiguation) * Roseum (disambiguation) ...

Endemic flora of Madagascar Plants used in Ayurveda Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine Plants described in 1759