Abstract
Periwinkle is the common name of Catharanthus. The scientific name of Madagascar Periwinkle and tiny periwinkle is Catharanthus roseus L. G. Don and Catharanthus pusillus (Murray) G. Don, respectively. Catharanthus is a genus of eight species out of which seven are indigenous to Madagascar and one (C. pusillus) is restricted to India and Sri Lanka. Periwinkle is an economically important perennial or annual medicinal plant having diploid chromosome number \(2n = 2x = 16\) that belongs to the family Apocynaceae. To discuss the genomics of periwinkle there is necessity to have an insight related to the basic botanical features of periwinkle. This chapter provides a comprehensive account regarding its origin, distribution, nomenclature, taxonomic hierarchy, morphology, anatomy, cytology, chemical constituents, and medicinal and ayurvedic properties. This chapter also includes many original photographs and data to provide specific information related to periwinkle.
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Rani, N. (2022). Botanical Features of Periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus. In: Kole, C. (eds) The Catharanthus Genome . Compendium of Plant Genomes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89269-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89269-2_1
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