oleander

American  

[oh-lee-an-der, oh-lee-an-] / ˈoʊ liˌæn dər, ˌoʊ liˈæn- /

noun

1. a poisonous shrub, Nerium oleander, of the dogbane family, native to southern Eurasia, having evergreen leaves and showy clusters of pink, red, or white flowers, and widely cultivated as an ornamental.

---

oleander British  

/ ˌəʊlɪˈændə /

noun

1. Also called: rosebay.  a poisonous evergreen Mediterranean apocynaceous shrub or tree, Nerium oleander, with fragrant white, pink, or purple flowers

---

Etymology

Origin of oleander

1540–50; < Medieval Latin oleander, oliandrum, obscurely akin to Late Latin laurandrum, perhaps a conflation of Latin laurus laurel and rhododendron rhododendron

Example Sentences

Working at Muir on a rainy February morning, Villegas took a break near a chain-link fence where he and his crew had just cut back some overgrown oleander.

From Los Angeles Times

Oleander leaf scorch, which can infect olives because they are in the same family as oleanders, can cause leaf yellowing and localized defoliation.

From Seattle Times

Oleandrin is a poisonous substance found in the leaves of the oleander plant.

From Seattle Times

The Victorians were preoccupied with poetic connections between sleep and death, and it’s telling that Leighton has included, at top right, the branch of an oleander bush, known for its deadly toxicity.

From Washington Post

More plants bloomed along the edge of the pit—hemlock, nightshade, and oleander spreading toward Percy’s feet like a deadly carpet.

From Literature