Catharanthus is a
genus of
flowering plants in the dogbane family,
Apocynaceae. Like genus
Vinca, they are known commonly as
periwinkles. There are eight known species. Seven are
endemic to
Madagascar, though one,
C. roseus, is widely naturalized around the world. The eighth species,
C. pusillus, is native to
India and
Sri Lanka. The name
Catharanthus comes from the
Greek for "pure flower".