Catharanthus roseus, commonly known as bright eyes, Cape periwinkle, graveyard plant, Madagascar periwinkle, old maid, pink periwinkle, rose periwinkle, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native and endemic to Madagascar, but grown elsewhere as an ornamental and medicinal plant. It is a source of the drugs vincristine and vinblastine, used to treat cancer. It was formerly included in the genus Vinca as Vinca rosea. It has many vernacular names among which are arivotaombelona or rivotambelona, tonga, tongatse or trongatse, tsimatiririnina, and vonenina. Synonyms Two varieties are recognized Catharanthus roseus var. roseus Synonymy for this variety Catharanthus roseus var. angustus Steenis ex Bakhuizen f. Catharanthus roseus var. albus G.Don Catharanthus roseus var. occellatus G.Don Catharanthus roseus var. nanus Markgr. Lochnera rosea f. alba (G.Don) Woodson Lochnera rosea var. ocellata (G.Don) Woodson Catharanthus roseus var. angustus (Steenis) Bakh. f. Synonymy for this variety Catharanthus roseus var. nanus Markgr. Lochnera rosea var. angusta Steenis Description Catharanthus roseus is an evergreen subshrub or herbaceous plant growing tall. The leaves are oval to oblong, long and wide, glossy green, hairless, with a pale midrib and a short petiole long; they are arranged in opposite pairs. The flowers range from white with a yellow or red center to dark pink with a darker red center, with a basal tube long and a corolla diameter with five petal-like lobes. The fruit is a pair of follicles long and wide. Ecology In the wild, C. roseus is an endangered plant; the main cause of decline is habitat destruction by slash and burn agriculture. It is also, however, widely cultivated and is naturalized in subtropical and tropical areas of the world such as Australia, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the United States. It is so well adapted to growth in Australia that it is listed as a noxious weed in Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, and also in parts of eastern Queensland. Cultivation As an ornamental plant, it is appreciated for its hardiness in dry and nutritionally deficient conditions, popular in subtropical gardens where temperatures never fall below , and as a warm-season bedding plant in temperate gardens. It is noted for its long flowering period, throughout the year in tropical conditions, and from spring to late autumn, in warm temperate climates. Full sun and well-drained soil are preferred. Numerous cultivars have been selected, for variation in flower colour (white,