Oleander facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oleander
Nerium oleander in flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Apocynaceae
Genus:	Nerium L.
Species:	N. oleander
Binomial name
Nerium oleander L.

Oleander, Nerium oleander, is a poisonous shrub. It is commonly used in gardens because of its pink colored flowers. Nerium oleander is native to northern Africa, the eastern Mediterranean basin and southeast Asia. Oleander prefers dry, warm climates and may naturalize in such areas. Recently, scientific studies on cardenolide oleandrin show that it may be used to prevent mutagenesis.

Images for kids

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  Detail of the candy-striped corona and feathery style of a single peach-colored flower

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  Oleander growing wild in a Libyan wadi

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  Oleanders infected with Xylella fastidiosa in Phoenix, AZ

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  Oleander shrub, Morocco

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  Variegated variety

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  White oleander in bloom, Joshua Tree, California

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  Oleanders by Vincent van Gogh

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  Peach color

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  Unusual yellow-flowered variety. Cultivated specimen, Galveston, Texas

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  The first oleander planting in Galveston, Texas (1841)

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  Red flower

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  A follicle spreading seeds

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  Pink flowers and leaves

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  A small bush

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  A small tree

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  Flowers of Nerium oleander in West Bengal, India.

See also

In Spanish: Nerium oleander para niños