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| Catharanthus roseus | |
| "Madagascar Periwinkle" | |
| LHBC 567 | |
| Family: Apocynaceae | |
| Native to: Madagascar | |
| Often confused with Vinca, and previously placed in that genus. Catharanthus is the natural source of the Vinca Alkaloids which were among the first effective compounds used in cancer chemotherapy beginning in the 1950s. Some of these are still in use, such as the high cytotoxic vinblastine and vincristine. | |
| Horticultural notes: Although technically these are tropical perennials, they are commonly cultivated as bedding plants in temperate areas and then treated as annuals that die with first hard frosts. |
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