Ornamental Exterior versus Therapeutic Interior of Madagascar Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus): The Two Faces of a Versatile Herb

Figure 1

(a) Artificial hybrids of MP in flower stage; (b) wild types with purple flowers “rosea”; (c) wild types with white flowers “alba”; (d) fruits which are composed of two free narrow cylindrical follicles; (e) seeds inside the follicle; (f) seeds. All images represent the real sizes, approximately. The artificial hybrids are clearly differentiated from those wild types due to their floral architecture and petals structure which are wider, thicker, and more compressed than the wild ones.

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(b)

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(f)