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Catharanthus lanceus, the lance-leaf periwinkle, is a perennial herb up to about 1 metre tall, endemic to Madagascar, growing on volcanic or burned soils and rocky hillsides at 750 to 2,000 m. It is a wild species rarely cultivated, so its key growing need is well-drained soil and full sun, similar to its relative Madagascar periwinkle.
Catharanthus lanceus, the lance-leaf periwinkle, grows as a perennial herb up to 1 metre (3 ft) tall. Its fragrant flowers feature white or cream corolla lobes turning pink, reddish-violet or pink-magenta. Its habitat is on volcanic or burned soil, hillside rocks and in open woodland on ridges. Catharanthus lanceus is found from 750–2,000 metres (2,500–6,600 ft) altitude. The plant is used in local medicinal treatments for toothache, fever and skin diseases, and also as a diuretic. The species is endemic to Madagascar.
Two alkaloids have been isolated from the root: lanceine and vinosidine.
Madagascar Periwinkle · Catharanthus trichophyllus · Periwinkle
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Catharanthus lanceus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
