Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

 Sadabahar (Vinca Rosea) Other Names: Nayantara, Periwinkle, Madagascar Periwinkle, Catharanthus Cape periwinkle is an attractive, evergreen shrub, bearing graceful pink or white salverform flowers. The plant is native to southeastern and eastern Madagascar. It gained world recognition after the European colonists exported it as an ornamental plant. Cape periwinkle can grow in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The glossy leaves of the plant are oval to oblong in shape and arranged in opposite pairs, with a pale midrib and a short petiole. The flowers usually have five petal-like lobes in it.  The blooms of the wild periwinkle are a pale pink, with a purple "eye" in the center. The plant can grow very well in poor and well-drained soils and will suffer if the soil is very healthy or too fertile. You have to pinch back the buds early in the season, to encourage branching and a fuller plant. Madagascar periwinkle doesn't need deadheading - the fl...