About

This Madagascar native is related to the Vinca species, recognized for its authentic-blue flora. There is a resemblance, however, this tropical relative has magnificence of its own. This shrubby plant has upright stems densely blanketed with vibrant, darkish-green oval leaves, which feature prominent mild-green midribs.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Plantae
Clade Tracheophytes

Clade Angiosperms

Clade Eudicots

Clade Asterids
Order Gentianales
Family Apocynaceae
Subfamily Rauvolfioideae
Tribe Vinceae
Subtribe Catharanthine
Genus Catharanthus

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Scientific Name

Catharanthus roses

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Common name Madagascar Periwinkle
Type Bush
Height 10- 20 inch
Exposure Full Sun
Soil Well-drained
Foliage Evergreen
Flowering May-October

It is local to Europe, wherein it was generally recognized in folklore as the “flower of death” because its vines had been woven into headbands worn by dead youngsters or criminals on their way to execution.

Description

Periwinkle is a trailing vine that can reach up to 6 ft in length and approximately 6 inches in height.

The stems are generally slender, smooth, and herbaceous even though partly woody.

Flowers bloom in April and May after which sporadically from June to September. Flowers are commonly lavender in colouration with a white star-shaped throat, but in all likelihood violet, blue, or white. Blooms are secluded, generally about an inch across, and have a pinwheel-like appearance.

The bean-like periwinkle fruits, if they develop in any respect, are disguised.

Periwinkle reproduces vegetatively through underground runners, or stems above the ground can form roots wherever the nodes come in contact with the ground

Habitat

A creeping perennial vine, Periwinkle forms dense mats of groundcover in partly shaded forests. This vine is evergreen with distinct purple-violet flora within the spring and summertime. Periwinkle is regularly located close to vintage home sites wherein it was and carries on to be used for a landscaping ground cover. Enormous “carpets” of Periwinkle can be seen alongside Yellowwood Lake Rd. close to the state forest office and campgrounds.

Disadvantage

Periwinkle can form dense and extensive carpets on the woodland ground that cover massive regions of the floor in a monotypic evergreen shade, smothering local wildflowers and other herbaceous or woody species. It grows vigorously and can even thrive in entire colour or even bad soil.

Uses

The plant was brought to Europe at some point in the mid-1700s, during which era it became cultivated as an ornamental. Nowadays it grows all through a great deal of the world and plantations have been set up on most continents in the warmer climates. The plant has been broadly utilized in tropical folk medicine. Decoctions of the plant have been used for maladies ranging from ocular inflammation, diabetes, and haemorrhage to treating insect stings and cancers.
Periwinkle alkaloids were used in the treatment of leukemia, Hodgkin disease, malignant lymphomas, neuroblastoma, Wilms tumour, Kaposi sarcoma, mycosis fungoides, to improve cerebral blood flow, and deal with excessive blood pressure.
The most widely known of the “vinca” alkaloids derived from C. roseus are vinblastine and vincristine, which are now extensively used as pharmaceutical anticancer agents. An intensive body of literature exists on the medical uses of the diverse purified alkaloids of Catharanthus
Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.

Side effects

Madagascar periwinkle is dangerous when taken by mouth because of the presence of toxic chemical compounds referred to as vinca alkaloids. Madagascar periwinkle can cause side effects consisting of nausea, vomiting, hair loss, hearing loss, dizziness, bleeding, nerve problems, seizures, liver damage, low blood sugar, or even loss of life.

Precaution

Madagascar periwinkle appears to be able to lower blood sugar. There may be a few situations where it might decrease blood sugar in an excessive amount in human beings with diabetes who’re using anti-diabetes medicinal drugs. Medication doses would possibly need to be modified.

Some doctors fear that Madagascar periwinkle would possibly intrude with blood sugar control for the duration of and after surgical procedure. Doctors recommend preventing the usage of Madagascar periwinkle as a minimum of 2 weeks before a scheduled surgical treatment.

By- Rudrakshi

Content Writer (Erakina By RTMN)

12/ 12/ 2021