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

Oleandrin comes from Nerium oleander, a shrub that is deadly to humans; scientists warned the New York Times that the compound was not known to be safe.

From Slate • Dec. 11, 2025

He’d woken up in an oleander bush with no memory of how he’d gotten there.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2025

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

From Seattle Times • Sep. 6, 2023

We come to her for dusty palms, pepper trees, eucalyptus, the “soft westerlies off the Pacific,” but also the concrete overpasses, cyclone fencing and deadly oleander.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 8, 2019

But I thought — ” “He was only a small tyke, but she blamed him. Later, when he died, from the oleander, there were questions. Some people suspected — ” He paused, and sighed.

From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry