Rosy Periwinkle

It is an evergreen subshrub or herbaceous plant growing 1 m tall. The leaves are oval to oblong, 2.5–9 cm long and 1–3.5 cm broad, glossy green, hairless, with a pale midrib and a short petiole 1–1.8 cm long; they are arranged in opposite pairs. The flowers are white to dark pink with a darker red centre, with a basal tube 2.5–3 cm long and a corolla 2–5 cm diameter with five petal-like lobes. The fruit is a pair of follicles 2–4 cm long and 3 mm broad.[12][13][14][15]

In the wild, it is an endangered plant; the main cause of decline is habitat destruction by slash and burn agriculture.[16] It is also however widely cultivated and is naturalised in subtropical and tropical areas of the world.[12] It is so well adapted to growth in Australia, that it is listed as a noxious weed in Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory,[17] and also in parts of eastern Queensland.[18]