oleander

[ oh-lee-an-der, oh-lee-an- ]

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

/ ˌəʊlɪˈændə /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of oleander¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of oleander¹

C16: from Medieval Latin, variant of arodandrum, perhaps from Latin rhododendron

Example Sentences

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

And one of the most abundant milkweed-visiting aphids, the nonnative oleander aphid, is host-specific, meaning it doesn’t eat other plants.

From Seattle Times

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

From Seattle Times

If your tree has oleander leaf scorch, there’s nothing you can do to save it.

From Seattle 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