Catharanthus is a genus of in the family Apocynaceae. Like the genus Vinca, they are known commonly as periwinkles.[ Catharanthus. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).]
Morphology
The plants of
Catharanthus are
perennial that are
, often with
Prostrate shrub or erect stems that branch from the base of the plant.
The
genus was first described in 1837 by
George Don. He characterized the plants by the morphological features of simple, opposite, or almost oppositely arranged leaves. The flowers are usually solitary in the leaf
Leaf. 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. Eight are
endemism to
Madagascar,
[ Catharanthus. Madagascar Catalogue. eFloras.] though one,
C. roseus, is widely naturalized around the world.
The ninth species,
C. pusillus, is native to
India and
Sri Lanka.
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 genus is closely associated with the genus Amsonia, but possesses distinct differences such as Catharanthus grows mostly solitary or in pairs, while Amsonia grows in groups.
Historical Taxonomy
The genus has undergone several
Taxonomy revisions since it was classified initially. The
genus was originally described by
Carl Linnaeus in 1753 with the
species Vinca (known now as Catharanthus roseus). Along with V. rosea, he distinguished two other species,
Vinca major and
Vinca minor. In 1828, Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach 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 and
taxonomy. 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
Vinca is narrowly
, Catharanthus is a
perennial (a plant living longer than two years)
herb or undershrub erect or
procumbent, while
Vinca is a
perennial herb ascending.
Around the same time,
George Don had first described his findings and formally proposed a new
genus,
Catharanthus. This was based on differences in morphological characteristics of other species in the
Vinca genus and V. rosea. In 1844, Augustin Pyramus de Candolle further revised the classification of the
genus, dividing
Vinca 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
Taxonomy 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) and Chang Chung Hua (in
Chinese language).
The name
Catharanthus comes from the
greek language 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
Madagascar, 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
Plant stem.
The follicles are erect or pedunculate, and the
Petal 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
Plant stem. 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
Madagascar. Named after its leaf shape, which is
lanceolate as it grows. It is relatively small, with leaves being less then 9 mm wide. The
Petal is pink with a yellow eye, and the lobes are white closest to the base.
C. longifolius contains similar compound 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
Madagascar. The plant has
Glabrous leaves 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
India and
Sri Lanka 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 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
Madagascar, particularly the south-east and throughout the tropics, has been naturalized 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. 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
Madagascar 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 such as Vinblastine, Vincristine, Ajmalicine, etc. These alkaloids are also found in C. roseus and used to treat cancer, Hypertension, and many other illnesses.
Uses
In the 1950s, Catharanthus roseus, known formerly as
Vinca rosea, was heavily researched when
India, and various countries in
Africa and the
Caribbean used it for its medicinal properties.
It is a main source of
vinca alkaloid, now sometimes called catharanthus alkaloids. The plant produces about 130 of these compounds, including
vinblastine and
vincristine, two drugs used to treat cancer.
These alkaloids are typically used to treat cancer, such as
leukemia,
lymphoma, and testicular cancer. A less commonly known alkaloid that the species holds is
Ajmalicine (found in the
root), used to treat
Hypertension diabetes. Traditionally, the medicinal properties of the plant extend to treating
hyperglycemia,
asthma,
hypertension,
malaria, various infections, and many more.
The species was also briefly referenced when trying to find COVID-19 treatment through the extraction and usage of
Jasmonic acid,
Methylester,
Penciclovir, and Putamonoxin B and D.
Other traditional medicine uses the plant for leaf juice application on bee and wasp stings in
India, eye wash for infants with flower extract in
Cuba and
Jamaica, treat
insomnia in
Malaysia, ease sore throats and
laryngitis in
United States.
Many of the species, primarily Catharanthus roseus, is also cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens. Several 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
Source:
-
Catharanthus coriaceus 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.
External links
