Bunga Tapak Dara ( Rosy Periwinkle)
Catharanthus roseus
Family: Apocynaceae
Form: Herb / Vine
Origin: Native to Madagascar
Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape
Bunga Tapak Dara /Catharanthus roseus is a fleshy perennial growing to 32 in (80 cm) high. It has glossy, dark green, oval leaves (1-2 inches long) and flowers all summer long.
The blooms of the natural wild plants are a pale pink with a purple "eye" in their centers.
The plant has historically been used to treat a wide assortment of diseases. It was used as a folk remedy for Diabetes in Europe for centuries. In India, juice from the leaves was used to treat wasp stings. In Hawaii, the plant was boiled to make a poultice to stop bleeding. In China, it was used as an astringent, diuretic and cough remedy. In Central and South America, it was used as a homemade cold remedy to ease lung congestion and inflammation and sore throats. Throughout the Caribbean, an extract from the flowers was used to make a solution to treat eye irritation and infections.
It also had a reputation as a magic plant; Europeans thought it could ward off evil spirits, and the French referred to it as "violet of the sorcerers."
White Rosy Periwinkle
Pink Rosy Periwinkle
