Catharanthus roseus es una especie de Catharanthus nativa y endémica de Madagascar. Entre sus sinónimos se incluyen Vinca rosea (el basónimo), Ammocallis rosea, y Lochnera rosea.
Es una planta herbácea o subarbusto, que alcanza una altura de 1 m. Las hojas son de ovales a oblongas, de 2,5 a 9 cm de longitud y de 1 a 3.5 cm de anchura, color verde brillante, con un nervio central pálido y un corto peciolo de 1 a 1,8 cm de longitud; se disponen en pares opuestos. Las flores constan de una corola de hasta 5 centímetros de diámetro formada por cinco pétalos, unidos en su base a un tubo que puede ser tan largo como el diámetro corolino. El cáliz está formado por cinco sépalos lineares, cortos, de menos de 1 cm de longitud. En las plantas silvestres la corola es de color rosado claro, más raramente blancas, con la base de los pétalos más oscura. Las variedades ornamentales pueden mostrar tonos más intensos de rosa o combinaciones de tonos.
El fruto está formado por dos folículos de 2 a 4 cm de largo y 5 mm de ancho,tiene una sutura longitudinal en su cara interior. Las semillas tienen un vilano que les ayuda en su dispersión anemócora.
En la naturaleza, es una planta amenazada; la principal causa es la pérdida de su hábitat mediante el desbroce y quema del bosque para dedicarlo a la agricultura y la ganadería. Sin embargo esta especie se encuentra cultivada ampliamente y está naturalizada en amplias áreas subtropicales y tropicales del mundo.
Esta especie se cultiva principalmente como planta ornamental.
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharanthus_roseus
Catharanthus roseus, commonly known as bright eyes, Cape periwinkle, graveyard plant, Madagascar periwinkle, old maid, pink periwinkle, rose periwinkle, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native and endemic to Madagascar, but is grown elsewhere as an ornamental and medicinal plant, and now has a pantropical distribution. It is a source of the drugs vincristine and vinblastine, used to treat cancer. It was formerly included in the genus Vinca as Vinca rosea.
Catharanthus roseus is an evergreen subshrub or herbaceous plant growing 1 m (39 in) tall. The leaves are oval to oblong, 2.5–9 cm (1.0–3.5 in) long and 1–3.5 cm (0.4–1.4 in) wide, glossy green, hairless, with a pale midrib and a short petiole 1–1.8 cm (0.4–0.7 in) 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 2.5–3 cm (1.0–1.2 in) long and a corolla 2–5 cm (0.8–2.0 in) diameter with five petal-like lobes. The fruit is a pair of follicles 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) long and 3 mm (0.1 in) wide.
In its natural rage along the dry coasts of southern Madagascar, Catharanthus roseus is considered weedy and invasive, often self-seeding prolifically in disturbed areas along roadsides and in fallow fields. It is also, however, widely cultivated and is naturalized in subtropical and tropical areas of the world such as Australia, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the United States. It is so well adapted to growth in Australia that it is listed as a noxious weed in Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory,[18] and also in parts of eastern Queensland.
As an ornamental plant, it is appreciated for its hardiness in dry and nutritionally deficient conditions, popular in subtropical gardens where temperatures never fall below 5–7 °C (41–45 °F), and as a warm-season bedding plant 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 cultivars 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.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharanthus_roseus
