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.

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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

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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

The perennially under-construction compound, with its “oleander … and old milk cartons … R. Crumb comics, empty tea and coffee mugs, and ashtrays,” was often inhabited, Moon writes, by naked strangers “cavorting or making candles.”

From Los Angeles Times

Once the tree has been infected by oleander leaf scorch, leaves begin to yellow and drop.

From Seattle Times

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

From Seattle Times

Among the potentially murderous or mind-altering flora are datura, oleander, narcissus and pennyroyal.

From Washington Post