Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Tender Perennial
Shrub
Origin
Madagascar
Central America, South America
Types
Purple vinca, Vinca, cherry red, strawberry color
Fruit Tree
Number of Varieties
302
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Subtropical climates, Tropical regions
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-159-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
-
Sunset Zone
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm457.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
60.00 cm243.84 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink, Magenta, Rose
Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Spring, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Pollution, Drought, Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting, Transplanting
Cuttings, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Needs 2-3 times watering per week, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Dry, Sandy
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune ocassionally
In Early Autumn, Prune in winter, Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Botrytis Blight, Canker, Crown rot, Pythium rot, Root rot
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Wind
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
Allergy
Intestinal gas, Nausea, Vomiting
Pollen
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Chest pain, High blood pressure, Inflammation, Sore throat, Tooth ache, Wounds
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Other Uses
Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Hanging Basket, Mixed Border, Tropical
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
CATHARANTHUS roseus
Malpighia emarginata
Common Name
Madagascar Periwinkle, Periwinkle, Vinca
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
In Hindi
Vinca
Acerola Tree
In German
Vinca
Acerola Baum
In French
Vinca
Acerola Arbre
In Spanish
Vinca
Árbol de acerola
In Greek
Vinca
Acerola Δέντρο
In Portuguese
Vinca
Árvore acerola
In Polish
Vinca
Acerola Drzewo
In Latin
Galium
Acerola ligno
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Gentianales
Malpighiales
Family
Apocynaceae
Malpighiaceae
Genus
Catharanthus
Malpighia
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Paperveroideae
Number of Species
51-
1
27800
👆🏻