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CLASSIFICATION

ORDER	:  Gentianales
FAMILY	:  Apocynaceae
GENUS	:  Catharanthus
SPECIES	:  roseus
BOTANICAL NAME	:  Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don
SYNONYMS	:  Vinca rosea L.
COMMON NAME	:  Periwinkle, Vinca.
TAMIL NAME	:  Nithyakalyani
HINDI NAME	:  Sadabahar.

PLANT DESCRIPTION

HABIT :  An erect, everblooming, ornamental herb, with branched tap root system.

STEM :  Erect, cylindrical, branched, solid, purple red with milky latex, pubescent.

LEAVES :  Simple, exstipulate, opposite decussate subsessile or petiolate, ovate or obovate, entire, mucronate, unicostate reticulate.

INFLORESCENCE :  Solitary axillary or dichasial cyme.

FLOWERS :  Ebracteate, pedicellate, complete, actinomorphic, bisexual, hypogynous, pentamerous, cyclic, rosy-purple in colour. Calyx made up of 5 sepals, polysepalous, valvate. Corolla made up of 5 petals, gamopetalous, twisted, pink, violet or purple in colour, hypocrateriform, throat of corolla swollen in which are present the stamens.Androecium of 5 stamens, polyandrous, epipetalous, filament short, anthers sagittate, dithecous, dorsifixed, introrse. Gynoecium bicarpellary, syncarpous but sometimes apocarpous, superior, ovary free, ovules many, marginal placentation, style long, stigma modified and capitate.Two green hypogynousnectaries or nectariferous scales are present. Nectaries are anteroposterior to the ovary.

FRUIT :  Follicle

FLOWERING AND FRUTING TIME :  Throughout the year.

MEDICINAL USES

In traditional medicine, the periwinkle has been used for relieving muscle pain, depression of the central nervous system, also used for applying to wasp stings and to heal wounds

Plant is used in cancer and diabetes; root paste is used in septic wounds; root decoction is used in fever; leaves are used in menorrhagia; leaf juice is used in blood dysentery.

The decoction of leaf is used for babies in gripping pain while the latex is useful in scabies.

IMAGES

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