Kanupoolaku / Indian Periwinkle
Catharanthus pusillus
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan & more
- Flowering
- July-January
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Catharanthus pusillus
- Genus
- Catharanthus
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Weed of cultivation and colonizer
- Habitat type
- Cultivated, Wasteland
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Kerala, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-January
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Typical of the Apocynaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Pinkrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Follicle
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kanupoolaku itself; the rest are typical of the Apocynaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- Paalaich, chetthai, milakaych chakkalatti, மிளகாய் நங்கை
- Telugu
- kanupoolaku, erri mirapa, gulvidi
- Kannada
- ಬಿಳಿಕಾಸಿಕಣಗಿಲು
- Malayalam
- chupa-vela
- Marathi
- संगखी Sangkhi, रान केल Ran-kel, तिलोनी Tiloni
About Kanupoolaku
Indian Periwinkle (Catharanthus pusillus) is a herb in the Apocynaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan and 12 other states. It grows in weed of cultivation and colonizer. Flowering and fruiting run from July to January.
Apocynaceae
Dogbane family
Kanupoolaku belongs to the Apocynaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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