Typical of the Apocynaceae family
Catharanthus pusillus
Kanupoolaku / Indian Periwinkle संगखी
Marathi name · See all regional names ↓
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan & more
- Flowering
- July-January
Kanupoolaku in regional languages
Find the name you know, then compare it with the botanical profile. Columns list recorded aliases; they are not paired translations. A Latin spelling appears only when it is present in the source record.
| Language | Regional script | Recorded Latin spelling |
|---|---|---|
| Tamil | மிளகாய் நங்கை | Paalaich, chetthai, milakaych chakkalatti |
| Telugu | Not recorded | kanupoolaku, erri mirapa, gulvidi |
| Kannada | ಬಿಳಿಕಾಸಿಕಣಗಿಲು | Not recorded |
| Malayalam | Not recorded | chupa-vela |
| Marathi | संगखी · रान केल · तिलोनी | Sangkhi, Ran-kel, Tiloni |
See the original recorded 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
Ecology & growing context
- Native status · Kew WCVP
- WCVP native range includes India, West Himalaya Kew dataset ↗
Kew WCVP dataset; accepted-name match. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: Indian Subcontinent.
- Recorded habitat
- Weed of cultivation and colonizer
- Explore nearby plants
- Karnataka →Telangana →Rajasthan →
Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.
How to identify Kanupoolaku
Identify Kanupoolaku by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Small dwarf periwinkle.
- Confirm flower colour: Pink.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: July-January.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Kerala and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Apocynaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kanupoolaku.
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
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
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Follicle
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kanupoolaku itself; the rest are typical of the Apocynaceae family — flowering plants only.
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.
Explore the Apocynaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Kanupoolaku or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides