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Nerium oleander

Common name:	Oleander	Family:	Apocynaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	50, 200
Synonyms:	Nerium odorum (Sol.), Nerium indicum (Mill.)
Known Hazards:	The whole plant is very poisonous[1, 19, 65]. Skin contact with the plant can cause irritation whilst ingestion of only one leaf has led to death in children[200, 274]. Death has been known to follow the use of the wood of this plant as a meat skewer[200].
Range:	S.W. Europe to E. Asia.
Habitat:	River banks and river gravels in Europe[50].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Adelfa [E], Aghu [E], Alelia [E], Berberia [E], Bunga Jepun [E], Defla [E], Diflah [E], Flor Del Peru [E], Kyotiku-To [E], Laurel Rosa [E], Laurier [E], Laurier Des Jardins [E], Laurier Rose [E], Laurier Tropical [E], Lurek [E], Nd [E], Nerium [DEN2], Oleander [MS,H,E,P,B], Piruli [E], Rosa De Berberia [E], Rosa Del Peru [E], Rosa Francesa [E], Zakkum [E], Zhalah [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	oleander = Nerium
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Gentianales. Dogbane family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Argentina China Cuba Dominican Republic Europe Haiti Hawaii India India(Santal) Iraq Kurdistan Libya Malaya Mexico Morocco Nepal Puerto Rico Samoa Spain Turkey Us Venezuela Wi

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 4m by 4m . It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedge, Woodland, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Cancer Cardiotonic Diaphoretic Diuretic Emetic Expectorant Resolvent Skin Sternutatory.

The leaves and the flowers are cardiotonic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, expectorant and sternutatory[7, 147, 218]. A decoction of the leaves has been applied externally in the treatment of scabies[7], and to reduce swellings[240]. This is a very poisonous plant, containing a powerful cardiac toxin[240], and should only be used with extreme caution[7, 147].
The root is powerfully resolvent. Because of its poisonous nature it is only used externally. It is beaten into a paste with water and applied to chancres and ulcers on the penis[240].
An oil prepared from the root bark is used in the treatment of leprosy and skin diseases of a scaly nature[240].
The whole plant is said to have anticancer properties[218].

Other Uses

Dye Hedge Insecticide Latex Parasiticide Soil stabilization.

The plant is used as a rat poison[46], a parasiticide[7] and an insecticide[100]. The pounded leaves and bark are used as an insecticide[272].
A green dye is obtained from the flowers[168].
The plant is commonly used for informal hedging in the Mediterranean[89, 200], though it is too tender for this use in Britain[K].
The leaves contain small amounts of latex that can be used to make rubber[227], though the amount is too small for commercial utilization[K].
The plants have an extensive root system and are often used to stabilize soil in warmer areas[148].

Cultivation details

Prefers a heavy soil[49]. Prefers a light soil according to another report[202]. Requires a position in full sun[49, 184]. Prefers a fertile well-drained soil[200]. Lime tolerant[200, 202]. Plants are very tolerant of heat and also of drought once they are established[166]. Grows well in maritime gardens, tolerating salt-laden winds[200].
This species is not very hardy in Britain, though plants tolerate temperatures down to -5° c and short periods of temperatures down to -10° c[184, 200, 260]. A popular greenhouse pot plant that can be grown outdoors in the summer, it can be grown outdoors all year round in the milder areas such as &ndndndnd[1, 260].
A very ornamental plant[1], there are many named varieties[200, 260]. Plants are shy to flower when grown outdoors[49, 59]. The flowers have a soft sweet perfume[245].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse[113]. Do not use seed from pods infected with the bacterial disease 'oleander knot'[113]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter before planting them out in early summer.
Cuttings of half-ripe side shoots, August/September in a frame. Good percentage[78].
Cuttings of mature leading shoots[1].

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers have a soft sweet perfume[245].

Cultivars

'': There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.

References for Nerium indicum (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Nerium odorum (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for the family Apocynaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[19] Stary. F. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn 1983 ISBN 0-600-35666-3
Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[49] Arnold-Forster. Shrubs for the Milder Counties.
Trees and shrubs that grow well in &ndndndnd and other mild areas of Britain. Fairly good, a standard reference book.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[59] Thurston. Trees and Shrubs in &ndndndnd.
Trees and shrubs that succeed in &ndndndnd based on the authors own observations. Good but rather dated.

[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[89] Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1
A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[148] Niebuhr. A. D. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America. 1970
A pleasant little book about Greek herbs.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.

[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[202] Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. 1990 ISBN 0-670-82929-3
Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[227] Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982 ISBN 0292780206
A readable guide to the area, it contains descriptions of the plants and their habitats with quite a bit of information on plant uses.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

Readers Comments

Nerium oleander

Marie Roberts Sat May 06 13:41:22 2000

We live in Lake Havasu Az. and have alot of Oleander bushes around the yard of the house we just bought... I have never heard of this problem before we moved here, but just about every one is telling us to keep the dog away from the bushes because they are loaded with ticks..These bushes are all over town... Why would people plant a bush that draws ticks...??

Nerium oleander

Vincent Martinez (vmartin@pie.xtec.es) Sat Dec 7 22:44:17 2002

Link: Botanical http://www.botanical-online.com/fotosneriumoleander.htm

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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