• Family : APOCYNACEAE
  (DOGBANE FAMILY)
• Family (as per The Plant List) : Apocynaceae
• Species : Catharanthus pusillus
• Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Catharanthus pusillus (Murray) G.Don
• Common name : Indian Periwinkle
• Vernacular name : Vishakanagile gida (Kan.); Paalaich chetthai (Tam.); Erri mirapa, Kaatuka kalugaku, Kanupoolaku, Gulvidi, Sukbanda (Tel.)
• Key identification features : A small erect annual herb with several spreading branches. Stem is quadrangular with milky latex. Leaves are simple, opposite, lanceolate with a pointed tip. Flowers are small (less than 1 cm.), solitary or in pairs in leaf axils. Free lobes of the corolla are spreading and wheel-shaped. Fruit is a pair of long, slender, cylindrical follicles.
• Habit : Herb
• Flower, Fruit : July-January
• Comments : On plains to 1400 m, sometimes a weed of cultivation. Also, as a colonizer in wastelands.
• Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
• Distribution Locality : Tippukadu R.F. (Tiruvannamalai district, former North Arcot), Pakamalai R.F. (Salem district), Sirumalai Hills (Dindigul district) (Tamil Nadu State); Veldurthi R.F. (Kurnool district), Rampa Hills (East Godavari district), Araku Valley (Visakhapatnam district), Chittoor district, Salur Forest (Srikakulam district), Prakasham district (Andhra Pradesh State); Ganjam district, Similipal Hills (MYB, Kalahandi district , Cuttack district (Odisha State)
• World Distribution : India, Sri Lanka
• Literature : Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983.
• Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Catharanthus pusillus. Downloaded on 31 October 2025.

Description

Field Images