Catharanthus roseus

Botanical Description

Catharanthus roseus is a profusely branched, erect or decumbent perennial plant with stems that can become more or less woody. It grows from 30 - 100cm tall[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. , 481 Title Medicinal Plants in Papua New Guinea Publication Author Publisher World Health Organisation Year 2009 ISBN 978-92-9061-249-0 Description Traditional medicinal uses of 126 species from Papua New Guinea, including information on modern research into the plants. ]. A white latex is present in all parts of the plant[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. The plant is widely used in traditional medicine in Africa and Asia. Often gathered from the wild, it is also widely cultivated. Recent discovery of the compound vincristine in the plant has led to its commercial cultivation, especially in Spain, China and the USA, since the compound has proved itself useful in the treatment of leukaemia[ 302 Title Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide Publication Author Whistler. W. Arthur. Publisher Timber Press Inc. Oregon. Year 2000 ISBN 0-88192-448-2 Description 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. ]. A popular garden ornamental, it is grown as a perennial in the tropics and as an annual in temperate regions, although it can overwinter as a pot plant in a conservatory. It is valued for its bushy habit and many large flowers carried above dark green foliage. It can also be kept as a cut flower; the branches will last for weeks or even months, producing new, but smaller, flowers all the time[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].