Periwinkle
ಸದಾಪುಷ್ಪसदाबहारபட்டிப்பூ,
Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don
- light
- Full sun
- water
- Medium
- tall
- 30 cm
- wide
- 25 cm
Apocynaceae
Also called Madagascar Periwinkle, Billygoat Weed, Tropical Periwinkle, White Vinca Flower, Oldmaid
Formerly Ammocallis rosea, Lochnera rosea, Pervinca rosea, Vinca rosea
When it flowers
Flowers June to February in the tropics.
Read from iNaturalist photographs of it in flower. A month counts at 50% of the best month's flowering share (smoothed over three months) and 10% of its flowering count, from at least 100 flowering observations in the band.
If a child, a pet or anyone may have eaten a plant, contact a doctor or vet straight away, or call the National Poisons Information Centre (AIIMS, New Delhi) on 1800 116 117, free and open 24 hours.
Something wrong with it?About it
- Grows as
- Subshrub or shrubKew's checklist, not yet checked
- Climate
- Seasonally dry tropicalKew's checklist, not yet checked
- Wild in
- E. & S. MadagascarKew's checklist, not yet checked
- Light
- Full sun (6 h or more)Read from NC State Extension and RHS, checked by a majority of its sourcesBacked by both sources. Sources differ: NC State Extension full, part; RHS full
- Height
- 15 cm to 46 cmRead from NC State Extension and RHS, checked by a majority of its sourcesBacked by both sources. Sources differ: NC State Extension 6–18 in; RHS 0.1–0.5 m
- Spread
- 20 cm to 30 cmRead from NC State Extension and RHS, checked by a majority of its sourcesBacked by both sources. Sources differ: NC State Extension 8–12 in; RHS 0.1–0.5 m
- Water
- Average: moist, well drainedRead from NC State Extension and RHS, checked by a majority of its sourcesBacked by both sources
- Flowers
- White, pinkRead from NC State Extension and RHS, checked by a majority of its sourcesBacked by both sources. Sources differ: NC State Extension pink, purple, white, yellow; RHS pink, red, white
- Coldest it survives
- 2 °C (USDA zone 10b)Read from NC State Extension and RHS, checked: the middle of what its sources sayHalfway between its 2 sources, which differ. Sources differ: NC State Extension -1.1 °C; RHS 5 °C
Not known yet: heat, hottest it survives.
Grow it with
Suggested by a rule, not by a gardener: same climate (kew), flowering when this plant does not (inaturalist), and a different shape.
Apple-of-PeruFlowers March to May, when this does not
Arabian jasmineFlowers March to May, when this does not
Billygoat weedFlowers March to May, when this does not
Black-eyed Susan vineFlowers March to May, when this does not
Blue dazeFlowers March to May, when this does not
Brazilian bachelor's buttonFlowers March to May, when this does not
In other languages (12)
- Spanish
- Jabonera de Madagascar, chula, Espanta novia
- Indonesian
- Tapak Dara
- Chinese
- 長春花, 日日春
- Hawaiian
- Kihapai
- Portuguese
- Vinca-de-Madagascar, Boa-noite
- Japanese
- ニチニチソウ
- Hebrew
- וינקה ורודה
- Chinese (China)
- 长春花
- Finnish
- ruusukatara
- Czech
- barvínkovec růžový
- French
- Pervenche de Madagascar
- Ukrainian
- Катарантус рожевий
Where this comes from
- iNaturalist, read 2026-10-24, CC0-1.0 (observation counts)
- Wikidata, read 2026-10-26, CC0-1.0
- Kew's checklist, read 2026-10-24, CC-BY-4.0
- NC State Extension, read 2026-10-25, fact, cited
- RHS, read 2026-10-25, fact, cited
- Wikimedia Commons, read 2026-10-24, CC BY 4.0
- iNaturalist, read 2026-10-25, CC0
- iNaturalist, read 2026-10-25, CC BY
- iNaturalist, read 2026-10-25, CC BY
- 3D model: Catharanthus roseus (built for Vanagrha) by Vanagrha, own
A fact “checked by a majority of its sources” was settled by a vote of the pages it was read from, not by a person reading it; one marked “one source” rests on that page alone. Anything else not marked checked has not been checked yet. Where nothing is known, the page says so rather than guess.