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Catharanthus

Miller, Justin C.;Hollatz, Allison J.;Schuler, Mary A.

EntityQ1050790· pop 35· linked from 29 articles

Catharanthus

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Catharanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. Like the genus Vinca, they are known commonly as periwinkles. It is a perennial herb and a subshrub endemic to Madagascar, with the exception of Catharanthus pusillus (commonly known as the tiny periwinkle), which is found in India and Sri Lanka. The most widely known species is Catharanthus roseus due to its usage in traditional and modern medicine, specifically as a source of cancer-treating alkaloid chemicals.

Species

GENUS

  1. KingdomPlantae
  2. PhylumTracheophyta
  3. ClassMagnoliopsida
  4. OrderGentianales
  5. FamilyApocynaceae
Native toIndia, Madagascar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, West Himalaya
Observations recorded33,835

via GBIF · Kew POWO

Museum specimens

Specimen records
127
With media
85
Family
Apocynaceae
Collections
MO, VT, CAS, ANSP, ESALQ, NY
Recorded in
Peru, Madagascar, Philippines, United States, Brasil, Brazil, Mexico, Honduras

Wikidata facts

Instance of
taxon
Image
Catharanthus roseus white CC-BY-SA.jpg
Show 6 more facts
taxon name
Catharanthus
taxon rank
genus
topic's main category
Category:Catharanthus
Commons category
Catharanthus
taxon common name
zimzelen
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~7 min read

Encyclopedic overview

8 sections
Contents
  • Description
  • Taxonomy
  • Species
  • Distribution and habitat
  • Uses
  • Gallery
  • References
  • External links

Catharanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. Like the genus Vinca, they are known commonly as periwinkles. It is a perennial herb and a subshrub endemic to Madagascar, with the exception of Catharanthus pusillus (commonly known as the tiny periwinkle), which is found in India and Sri Lanka. The most widely known species is Catharanthus roseus due to its usage in traditional and modern medicine, specifically as a source of cancer-treating alkaloid chemicals.

thumb|Catharanthus pusillus thumb|Catharanthus lanceus

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Catharanthus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (12)