Research directed by C. Daehler (UH Botany) with funding from the Kaulunani Urban Forestry Program and US Forest Service

Information on Risk Assessments
Original risk assessment

Catharanthus roseus (Vinca rosea, Lochnera rosea); Madagascar periwinkle

Answer

1.01

Is the species highly domesticated?

y=-3, n=0

n

1.02

Has the species become naturalized where grown?

y=-1, n=-1

y

1.03

Does the species have weedy races?

y=-1, n=-1

n

2.01

Species suited to tropical or subtropical climate(s) (0-low; 1-intermediate; 2-high) – If island is primarily wet habitat, then substitute “wet tropical” for “tropical or subtropical”

See Append 2

2

2.02

Quality of climate match data (0-low; 1-intermediate; 2-high) see appendix 2

2

2.03

Broad climate suitability (environmental versatility)

y=1, n=0

n

2.04

Native or naturalized in regions with tropical or subtropical climates

y=1, n=0

y

2.05

Does the species have a history of repeated introductions outside its natural range? y=-2

?=-1, n=0

y

3.01

Naturalized beyond native range y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2), n= question 2.05

y

3.02

Garden/amenity/disturbance weed y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

y

3.03

Agricultural/forestry/horticultural weed y = 2*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

n

3.04

Environmental weed y = 2*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

3.05

Congeneric weed y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

n

4.01

Produces spines, thorns or burrs

y=1, n=0

n

4.02

Allelopathic

y=1, n=0

n

4.03

Parasitic

y=1, n=0

n

4.04

Unpalatable to grazing animals

y=1, n=-1

y

4.05

Toxic to animals

y=1, n=0

y

4.06

Host for recognized pests and pathogens

y=1, n=0

n

4.07

Causes allergies or is otherwise toxic to humans

y=1, n=0

n

4.08

Creates a fire hazard in natural ecosystems

y=1, n=0

n

4.09

Is a shade tolerant plant at some stage of its life cycle

y=1, n=0

n

4.1

Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions (or limestone conditions if not a volcanic island)

y=1, n=0

n

4.11

Climbing or smothering growth habit

y=1, n=0

n

4.12

Forms dense thickets

y=1, n=0

n

5.01

Aquatic

y=5, n=0

n

5.02

Grass

y=1, n=0

n

5.03

Nitrogen fixing woody plant

y=1, n=0

n

5.04

Geophyte (herbaceous with underground storage organs -- bulbs, corms, or tubers)

y=1, n=0

n

6.01

Evidence of substantial reproductive failure in native habitat

y=1, n=0

n

6.02

Produces viable seed.

y=1, n=-1

y

6.03

Hybridizes naturally

y=1, n=-1

n

6.04

Self-compatible or apomictic

y=1, n=-1

6.05

Requires specialist pollinators

y=-1, n=0

n

6.06

Reproduction by vegetative fragmentation

y=1, n=-1

n

6.07

Minimum generative time (years) 1 year = 1, 2 or 3 years = 0, 4+ years = -1

See left

1

7.01

Propagules likely to be dispersed unintentionally (plants growing in heavily trafficked areas)

y=1, n=-1

y

7.02

Propagules dispersed intentionally by people

y=1, n=-1

y

7.03

Propagules likely to disperse as a produce contaminant

y=1, n=-1

n

7.04

Propagules adapted to wind dispersal

y=1, n=-1

n

7.05

Propagules water dispersed

y=1, n=-1

n

7.06

Propagules bird dispersed

y=1, n=-1

n

7.07

Propagules dispersed by other animals (externally)

y=1, n=-1

n

7.08

Propagules survive passage through the gut

y=1, n=-1

8.01

Prolific seed production (>1000/m2)

y=1, n=-1

8.02

Evidence that a persistent propagule bank is formed (>1 yr)

y=1, n=-1

n

8.03

Well controlled by herbicides

y=-1, n=1

8.04

Tolerates, or benefits from, mutilation, cultivation, or fire

y=1, n=-1

n

8.05

Effective natural enemies present locally (e.g. introduced biocontrol agents)

y=-1, n=1

Total score:

2

Source

Notes

1.01

no evidence

1.02

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Netherlands. 711 pp. Page 185

"have naturalized in many regions" (location was not specified)

1.03

no evidence

2.01

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Netherlands. 711 pp. Page 185

originate from Madagascar

2.02

2.03

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Netherlands. 711 pp. Page 185 2)http://plantsdatabase.com/go/185.html

"It is mostly found near sea level, but occasionally up to 1500m (??) altitude" 2)hot, dry climates and relatively infertile soils

2.04

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Netherlands. 711 pp. Page 185

originate from Madagascar

2.05

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Netherlands. 711 pp. Page 185 2)Long and Lakela, A flora of tropical Florida. University of Miami Press

"cultivated through out the tropics and occasionally in the subtropics" 2)Found at disturbed sites in South Florida

3.01

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Netherlands. 711 pp. Page 185

"have naturalized in many regions" (location was not specified)

3.02

Batianoff-George-N; Franks-Andrew-J. 1997. Invasion of sandy beachfronts by ornamental plant species in Queensland. Plant-Protection-Quarterly. ; 12 (4) 180-186.. 2)http://www.cassiakeyensis.com/sofl_plants/exotic_herb.html

An increase in the proportion of weeds of sandy beachfronts from north to south along the east coast of Queensland is reported. This distribution is possibly associated with human population densities rather than climatic conditions.The most abundant invasive ornamental weeds of Queensland beachfronts are Agave spp.(sisal or agave), Asparagus densiflorus (asparagus fern), Bryophyllum spp. (mother-of-millions), Catharanthus roseus (pink periwinkle), Euphorbia cyathophora (dwarf poinsettia), Gloriosa superba(glory lily), Lantana camara (lantana), Opuntia stricta (prickly pear), Sanseviera trifasciata (mother-in-law'stongue), Schinus terebinthifolia (Brazilian pepperina tree) Senna pendula var. glabra (Easter cassia) and Wedelia trilobata (Singapore daisy). 2) disturbance weed in Florida

3.03

no evidence

3.04

http://www.fnps.org/dade/pubs/PlantsToAvoid.html

naturalized in sandy Florida habitats (Maimi/Dade county) but not on updated prohibited "bad plants" list at http://www.co.miami-dade.fl.us/derm/badplants.htm. Instead it is listed under "plants to avoid" No evidence of control efforts.

3.05

although the former genus (Vinca) has weeds.

4.01

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 187

no description of these traits

4.02

Oudhia, P.; Tripathi, R. S. (2000) Allelopathic effects of some plant extracts on rice var. Mahamaya. Research on Crops, 2000, Vol.1, No.1, pp.119-121, 3 ref.

LAB ONLY. NO EVIDENCE IN NATURE. AB: Allelopathic effects of Sesamum indicum, Helianthus annuus, Catharanthus rosea [C. roseus], Bombax ceiba and Acacia auriculaeformis [A. auriculiformis] on germination and seedling vigour of rice cv. Mahamaya were investigated. The fresh samples of leaves of these plants were cut into fine pieces, immersed in water and decayed for 24 h in the ratio of 1:10 (w/v). The extracts were applied to rice seeds. Different extracts produced significant effect on germination and seedling vigour. C. roseus extract gave very low germination after 3 days, although by 5 days after sowing there were no significant differences between treatments. At 11 days after sowing (DAS), sesamum leaf extract produced maximum root and shoot elongation without affecting germination. Root and shoot length were lowest after treatment with C. roseus .

4.03

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 187

no description of parasitism

4.04

http://users.bestweb.net/~habitat/deer.htm

deer avoid it

4.05

http://www.floridata.com/ref/c/cath_ros.cfm

Madagascar periwinkle is poisonous if ingested or smoked. It has caused poisoning in grazing animals

4.06

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 189

Malaysian periwinkle yellow, a mycoplasm-like organism

4.07

Richard J. Schmidt (2001) BoDD the Botanical Dermatology Database <http://bodd.cf.ac.uk/BotDermFolder/BotDermA/APOC.html>

This plant is a common weed throughout the tropics. It is the source of the so-called vinca alkaloids, vincristine and vinblastine, used in cancer chemotherapy. [Singh R, Siddiqui MA and Baruah MC (1978) Plant dermatitis in Delhi. Indian Journal of Medical Research 68(Oct): 650-655.] observed no positive patch test reactions in 11 patients tested with the plant material.
A case has been described where a solution of vinblastine intended for intravenous injection was accidentally squirted in the eye. This caused epiphora associated with diffuse keratitis epithelialis [Grant WM (1974) Toxicology of the Eye, 2nd edn. Springfield, Ill.: CC Thomas.]

4.08

no evidence, fleshy stems

4.09

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 188 2)http://www.floridata.com/ref/c/cath_ros.cfm 3)http://www.naturalearning.com/Perenniallist.htm 4) Whistler, A. 2000. Tropical ornamentals. Timber Press 5)http://www.ag.auburn.edu/dept/hf/landscape/440.html 5)http://www.mssrf.org.sg/webfris/fris1062.html

"Madagascar periwinkle often occurs in sandy locations along the coast, but also inland on river banks, in savanna vegetation and in dry waste places and roadsides, sometimes in open forest or scrub, usually on sandy soils, but sometimes also on rocky soils" 2)Full sun or partial shade 3)full sun 4)sunny to partially shaded 5)full sun essential 6)not seen in forests

4.1

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 188 2)http://www.floridata.com/ref/c/cath_ros.cfm

"Madagascar periwinkle often occurs in sandy locations along the coast, but also inland on river banks, in savanna vegetation and in dry waste places and roadsides, sometimes in open forest or scrub, usually on sandy soils, but sometimes also on rocky soils" 2)Madagascar periwinkle does best in poor, well-drained soils. Flowering will suffer if soils are too fertile

4.11

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 187

undershrubs up to 100(-200) cm

4.12

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 187

undershrubs up to 100(-200) cm

5.01

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 187

terrestrial shrub

5.02

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 187

terrestrial shrub

5.03

no evidence

5.04

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 187

no descriptions of these traits

6.01

no evidence

6.02

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 187

"Madagascar periwinkle is usually propagated by seed"

6.03

no evidence

6.04

(1) de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 188
(2) Kulkarni, R. N.; Sreevalli, Y.; Baskaran, K.; Kumar, S. (2001) The mechanism and inheritance of intraflower self-pollination in self-pollinating variant strains of periwinkle. Plant Breeding, 2001, Vol.120, No.3, pp.247-250, 19 ref. 3)Kulkarni-R-N 1999. Evidence for phenotypic assortative mating for flower colour in periwinkle.Plant-Breeding. 118 (6): 561-564..

(1) "Madagascar periwinkle is self-incompatible" .
(2) [some variant strains are self-compatible] AB: The mechanism and inheritance of intraflower self-pollination in self-pollinating variant strains of periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus ) was studied using three self-pollinating and two non-self-pollinating but fully self-fertile strains. Intraflower self-pollination in self-pollinating strains occurred due to the continued growth of the gynoecium beyond the base of the anthers, even after anthesis, resulting in intraflower self-pollination. In non-self-pollinating strains, the stigma remained below the base of the anthers and did not come into contact with the pollen up to flower drop. Intraflower self-pollination was found to be governed by duplicate recessive genes. The utility of the intraflower self-pollination trait in the breeding of periwinkle cultivars is discussed. 3)Observations made on the occurrence of natural self-pollination revealed that automatic self-pollination did not occur in periwinkle

6.05

no evidence

6.06

no evidence

6.07

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 189

"Madagascar periwinkle is largely cultivated as a 200-day cropfor its leaves and roots "

7.01

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 188 2)Batianoff-George-N; Franks-Andrew-J. 1997. Invasion of sandy beachfronts by ornamental plant species in Queensland. Plant-Protection-Quarterly. ; 12 (4) 180-186..

"Madagascar periwinkle often occurs in sandy locations along the coast, but also inland on river banks, in savanna vegetation and in dry waste places and roadsides, sometimes in open forest or scrub, usually on sandy soils, but sometimes also on rocky soils" (Small seeds can be tracked with people in these trafficed places) 2)Dumping of plant waste is a main source of spread

7.02

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 185

"It was brought into cultivation in the first half of 18th centry in Paris, from seeds collected in Madagascar, and was late distributed from European botanical gardens to the tropics as an oramental "

7.03

no evidence

7.04

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 188

no specification on seed structure for wind dispersal

7.05

no evidence

7.06

no evidence

7.07

de Padua, L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors) (1999) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 12(1) Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Nitherlands. 711 pp. Page 188

"he seeds usually fall close to mother plant, but are sometimes transported by ants "

7.08

no evidence

8.01

no evidence

8.02

Carpenter-William-J ; Boucher-Joseph-F.1992. Germination and storage of vinca seed is influenced by light, temperature, and relative humidity.Hortscience-. ; 27 (9) 993-996..

Seed storage for 12 months without reduction in germination percentage was possible at 5C.. but storage at 75% or 95% RH for periods exceeding 1 month reduced germination

8.03

Hatterman-Valenti-Harlene ; Christians-Nick-E; Owen-Michael-D-K 1995. Effect of 2,4-D and triclopyr on annual bedding plants. Journal-of-Environmental-Horticulture. ; 13 (3) 122-125..

Greenhouse trials were conducted to evaluate annual flower response to simulated drift of Weedar 64 (dimethylamine salt of 2,4-D) and Turflon Amine (triethylamine salt of triclopyr). Mature annual flowers responded differently to low concentrations of Weedar 64 and Turflon. The order for species from most sensitive to least sensitive was petunia gt begonia = marigold = pansy = statice gt geranium = impatiens =rose periwinkle = salvia. Rates less than 128 g ae/ha (0.11 lb ae/A) caused only slight injury. Injury was expressed in reduced flower production and callus. Turflon suppressed flowering 19% more than Weedar 64. Both herbicides reduced flowering at rates greater than 100 g/ha (0.088 lb/A).

8.04

Whistler, A. 2000 Tropical ornamentals. Timber press

no evidence; can be lightly pruned but is more often re-planted as it gets "leggy" with age.

8.05

no evidence