The oleander is a Mediterranean evergreen shrub with showy flowers and leathery foliage, as ornamental as it is toxic in every part.
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Gentianales |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Genus | Nerium |
| Species | Nerium oleander |
It is an evergreen shrub that can reach up to 4 metres in height, with lanceolate, leathery, dark green leaves arranged in groups of three. A milky latex oozes from its stems and leaves when they are broken.
Its flowers, grouped in clusters at the tips of the branches, are white, pink or red depending on the variety, and give off a gentle fragrance. It flowers for a long period during a good part of the year.
It is native to the Mediterranean region, where it grows naturally in dry riverbeds and ramblas (the so-called “adelfares”). It is grown as an ornamental in gardens and avenues throughout Spain because of its resistance to drought and pollution.
The whole plant is highly toxic to people and animals because of the cardiac glycosides it contains, to the point that poisonings have been reported from using its branches as skewers for roasting food. Despite this, it is one of the most widely planted ornamental shrubs in the Mediterranean.
