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  4. Nerium oleander

Nerium oleander

Nerium oleander.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Hamilton Road, Herne Bay, Auckland.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Hamilton Road, Herne Bay, Auckland.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Hamilton Road, Herne Bay, Auckland.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
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Skull and crossbones

Poisonous plant

Common name

oleander

Family

Apocynaceae

Authority

Nerium oleander L.

Flora category

Vascular – Exotic

Structural class

Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons

Habitat

Terrestrial. Persisting in the vicinity of old plantations.

Features

Much-branched shrub to about 4 m high. Leaves opposite and shortly petiolate, to 15 x 2.5 cm on flowering shoots, to 25 x 4 cm on suckering shoots. Large pink flowers with reddish-purple calyx. Flowers are usually single but can be semi-double. Fruits are uncommon, but are up to 18 cm long when produced.

Similar taxa

Nerium is widely cultivated and over 400 varieties have been described, but there is just 1 species in the genus.

Flowering

November, December, January, February, March.

Flower colours

Red/Pink

Life cycle

Seed is only formed when 2 or more varieties are grown together.

Year naturalised

1950

Origin

Mediterranean region, S.W. Asia

Reason for introduction

Ornamental.

Tolerances

Appears restricted to the warmest parts of New Zealand.

Poisonous plant

All parts of this plant are very poisonous.

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