Appearance

Growth form

This evergreen shrub or small tree commonly reaches 5–19.5 ft (1.5–6 m), depending on the variety and climate.

Leaves

The narrow, leathery leaves grow opposite each other or in whorls of three or four. Cut stems release sticky sap.

Flowers

Clusters of five-lobed flowers appear from late spring through late summer in many U.S. gardens. Garden varieties may be pink, red, white, peach, cream, yellow, or purple, and some have double flowers.

Fruit

A flower can produce a pair of long, narrow pods. When they split, they release seeds with silky tufts that catch the wind.

Look-alikes

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• roadside plantings
• coastal gardens
• hedges

Range

It is native from the Mediterranean region east to parts of South and Southeast Asia. In the United States it is introduced and widely planted in warm states, including California, Texas, Florida, and parts of the Southeast.

Preferred conditions

It flowers best in full sun and handles heat, drought, and many soil types once established. In Florida it is suited to USDA Hardiness Zones 9A–11; colder areas usually grow it in containers that can be moved indoors.

Flowering

Flowers May–Aug

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Flowers

Flowers May–Aug

Growing it

Propagation

Garden plants can be started from seed or stem cuttings.

Toxicity

All parts contain cardiac glycosides and can cause severe or fatal poisoning if eaten. Do not burn trimmings, and keep the plant away from children, pets, and livestock that may chew it.

Connected species

Ties with other wildlife

In south Florida and the Keys, orange-and-black oleander caterpillars can feed on the leaves year-round and sometimes strip a shrub. Yellow oleander aphids also feed on tender shoots in Florida.

Parasites

• Xylella fastidiosa

  This bacterium lives in the plant’s water-carrying tissue and causes oleander leaf scorch in Florida.

Name and classification

About the name

Older references also called it Nerium indicum or Nerium oleander var. indicum.

Varieties and forms

Some garden selections have single flowers, while others are dwarf or have patterned leaves.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

LCLeast Concern·Low risk of extinction