Catharanthus roseus

Perennial subshrub, woody at base, up to 1 m tall, usually with white latex and an unpleasant smell, roots up to 70 cm long, stems narrowly winged, green or red, shortly hairy to glabrous, often woody at base. Leaves decussately opposite, simple and entire, stipules 2Ð4 at each side of the leaf base, petiole 3Ð11 mm long, green or red, blade elliptical to obovate or narrowly obovate, 2.5Ð8.5 cm ? 1Ð4 cm, base cuneate, apex obtuse or acute with a mucronate tip, herbaceous to thinly leathery, glossy green above and pale green below, sparsely shortly hairy to glabrous on both sides. Inflorescence terminal, but apparently lateral, 1Ð2-flowered. Flowers bisexual, 5-merous, regular, almost sessile, sepals slightly fused at base, (2Ð)3Ð5 mm long, erect, green, corolla tube cylindrical, 2Ð3 cm long, widening near the top at the insertion of the stamens, laxly shortly hairy to glabrous outside, with a ring of hairs in the throat and another lower down the tube, greenish, lobes broadly obovate, 1Ð2(Ð3) cm long, apex mucronate, glabrous, spreading, pink, rose-purple or white with a purple, red, pink, pale yellow or white centre, stamens inserted just below the corolla throat, included, filaments very short, ovary superior, consisting of 2 very narrowly oblong carpels, style slender, 15Ð23 mm long, with a cylindrical pistil head provided at base with a reflexed transparent frill and with rings of woolly hairs at base and apex, stigma glabrous. Fruit composed of 2 free cylindrical follicles 2Ð4.5 cm long, striate, laxly shortly hairy to glabrous, green, dehiscent, 10Ð20-seeded. Seeds oblong, 2Ð3 mm long, grooved at one side, black (Flora of China Editorial Committee, 2015, PROTA, 2015).