Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Mediterranean shrubland
Range: Southwest Asia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

Oleander is a hardy flowering shrub renowned for its clusters of showy pink, red, or white blossoms — yet every part of the plant, from leaf to stem to sap, is highly toxic if ingested. Despite being one of the most poisonous commonly cultivated plants, it thrives in Mediterranean and subtropical gardens worldwide.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Nerium
Species: Nerium oleander