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Catharanthus roseus
Apocynaceae FAMILY

Catharanthus roseus

Catharanthus roseus

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
4/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

A plant of the tropics and subtropics, it can also be cultivated as an annual crop in warm temperate areas[1]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 30°c, but can tolerate 10 - 34°c[1]. At temperatures below 5°c, some branches or even the whole plant will die. When the temperature rises, the plant will usually regrow from basal axillary buds, especially after hard pruning of the shoots and roots. Without pruning, the plant regrows mainly from the tops[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 1,200mm, but tolerates 800 - 1,400mm[1]. Established plants are drought tolerant[2]. An easily grown plant, it prefers a fertile, moist but well-drained soil in a sunny to partially shaded position[3]. Usually found on sandy soils in the wild, but sometimes also on rocky soils[2]. It is very tolerant of salt in the soil[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5.5 - 7.5[1]. The plant can flower all year round[4]. It may become a naturalised weed, especially when growing in dry habitats[3]. In the tropics, the roots are ready for harvest after one year[1]. In Hungary, when grown as an annual, average yield is 3.5 - 4.5 tonnes/ha of the fresh herb, or 1 - 1.5 tonnes/ha of dried herb[1]. Under irrigation conditions, 1.5 tonnes/ha of roots, 1.5 tonnes/ha of stems and 3 tonnes/ha of leaves can be obtained[1]. The plant is usually self-fertile, but self-incompatible strains exist and can be locally common in the wild[2].

Propagation

Seed - sow in a seed tray in a greenhouse. Germination takes 15 - 21 days at 21°c, with more than 95% of the seed sprouting[5, 2]. Seedlings are ready to pot up after 3 weeks[2]. Seed can remain viable for 3 - 5 years[2]. Greenwood or semi-ripe cuttings. When rooting hormone is used, the cuttings will start to root after 4 - 5 weeks[2]. Putting the cuttings in water will also induce rooting, but it will take longer than in the soil[2]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Catharanthus+roseus>

Pollinators

Self, Butterflies

References

  1. [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  2. [2]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
  3. [3]Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide — Whistler. W. Arthur. · Timber Press Inc. Oregon. · 2000 · ISBN 0-88192-448-2 ↩︎An excellent little guide to some of the more commonly cultivated ornamental plants of the Tropics, often giving some information on the plants other uses.
  4. [4]Medicinal Plants in Papua New Guinea — World Health Organisation · 2009 · ISBN 978-92-9061-249-0 ↩︎Traditional medicinal uses of 126 species from Papua New Guinea, including information on modern research into the plants.
  5. [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  6. [6]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  7. [7]The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants — Chevallier. A. · Dorling Kindersley. London · 1996 · ISBN 9-780751-303148 ↩︎An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
  8. [8]In-Vitro Efficacy of Certain Essential Oils and Plant Extracts against Three Major Pathogens of Jatropha curcas L. — Purnajyoti Deka Bhuyan; Phatik Tamuli; Paran Boruah · 2015 · http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2015.62041 ↩︎
  9. [9]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region