Catharanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. Like the genus Vinca, they are known commonly as periwinkles. It is a perennial herb and a subshrub endemic to Madagascar, with the exception of Catharanthus pusillus, which is found in India and Sri Lanka. The most widely known species is Catharanthus roseus due to its usage in traditional and modern medicine, specifically as a source of cancer-treating alkaloid chemicals.
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The same periwinkle you might grow as a garden groundcover is quietly running a chemical factory ...
The periwinkle in your flower bed isn't just a pretty groundcover, it's the source plant for vinc...
If you garden near an old industrial lot or a busy roadside, the plants there are quietly recruit...
The echinacea or holy basil in your garden isn't just fighting off fungus when it looks stressed,...
If you grow basil, mint, or ashwagandha for tea or remedies, the soil they're planted in matters ...
Madagascar Periwinkle, a common garden plant in Florida, is also the source of vincristine and vi...
Every article on Plant News that mentions a member of this genus, newest first.
Scientists discovered how the medicinal plant Madagascar periwinkle keeps its toxic chemical defenses from spiraling out of control, using a built-in molecular brake that switches on right alongside the signal that triggers production. The finding reveals a general strategy plants may use to balance defense with self-preservation.
If you garden near an old industrial lot or a busy roadside, the plants there are quietly recruiting a different set of...
The echinacea or holy basil in your garden isn't just fighting off fungus when it looks stressed, it may actually be...
The periwinkle in your flower bed isn't just a pretty groundcover, it's the source plant for vincristine and vinblastine, two...
If you grow basil, mint, or ashwagandha for tea or remedies, the soil they're planted in matters as much as the plant itself,...
Madagascar Periwinkle, a common garden plant in Florida, is also the source of vincristine and vinblastine — two chemotherapy...
Madagascar periwinkle produces compounds used in childhood leukemia drugs, and understanding the molecular switches that...