oleander
noun
ole·an·der ˈō-lē-ˌan-dər 
ˌō-lē-ˈan-
: a poisonous evergreen shrub (Nerium oleander) of the dogbane family with clusters of fragrant white to red flowers
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Some flowering plants, such as foxglove, oleander, lily of the valley and rhododendrons (such as azaleas), can lead to cardiac failure or cause diarrhea and vomiting if dogs ingest them. 
Washington Post, 4 May 2022 Blooming pink, red, and white oleander line the winding driveway, a mass of hot pink bougainvillea climbs their stone chimney, and dramatic views stretch to the ocean and surrounding mountains. Francine Kiefer, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 June 2022 Small black hummingbirds dance between copal trees, floating from the blooms of bright yellow oleander and dusty pink frangipani for nectar. Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 7 June 2022 But few of the ladies wafting in their enormous bonnets among the oleander on the garden terraces, or the gentlemen smoking cigars by the seawall, could see the shadows that were encroaching on their famous hosts. Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2022 Carson had learned that a compound from oleander, a toxic ornamental plant, had reduced reproduction of the virus in preliminary experiments, in monkey cells grown in the lab. Dallas News, 15 July 2021 Trumpist Mike Lindell, who amassed a $300 million fortune by huckstering branded pillows, urged the president to back an herbal oleander extract as a coronavirus treatment. Matthew Hongoltz-hetling, The New Republic, 23 June 2021 Consuming any part of the oleander plant can cause vomiting, along with changes in heart rate and heart rhythm, Wismer said, and the seeds, or beans, of castor oil plants can cause an upset stomach, tremors and organ failure. Washington Post, 3 June 2021 Le Grand Controle offers up fabulous views of the palace's famous Orangerie, a garden building designed by French architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart that features orange, lemon, oleander, palm and pomegranate trees. Tamara Hardingham-gill, CNN, 2 June 2021 See More
Washington Post, 4 May 2022 Blooming pink, red, and white oleander line the winding driveway, a mass of hot pink bougainvillea climbs their stone chimney, and dramatic views stretch to the ocean and surrounding mountains. Francine Kiefer, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 June 2022 Small black hummingbirds dance between copal trees, floating from the blooms of bright yellow oleander and dusty pink frangipani for nectar. Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 7 June 2022 But few of the ladies wafting in their enormous bonnets among the oleander on the garden terraces, or the gentlemen smoking cigars by the seawall, could see the shadows that were encroaching on their famous hosts. Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2022 Carson had learned that a compound from oleander, a toxic ornamental plant, had reduced reproduction of the virus in preliminary experiments, in monkey cells grown in the lab. Dallas News, 15 July 2021 Trumpist Mike Lindell, who amassed a $300 million fortune by huckstering branded pillows, urged the president to back an herbal oleander extract as a coronavirus treatment. Matthew Hongoltz-hetling, The New Republic, 23 June 2021 Consuming any part of the oleander plant can cause vomiting, along with changes in heart rate and heart rhythm, Wismer said, and the seeds, or beans, of castor oil plants can cause an upset stomach, tremors and organ failure. Washington Post, 3 June 2021 Le Grand Controle offers up fabulous views of the palace's famous Orangerie, a garden building designed by French architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart that features orange, lemon, oleander, palm and pomegranate trees. Tamara Hardingham-gill, CNN, 2 June 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Medieval Latin, alteration of arodandrum, lorandrum, perhaps alteration of Latin rhododendron — more at rhododendron
First Known Use
1545, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
oleander
noun
ole·an·der ˈō-lē-ˌan-dər, ˌō-lē-ˈ
: a poisonous evergreen shrub (Nerium oleander) of the dogbane family (Apocynaceae) with fragrant white to red flowers that contains oleandrin and was formerly used in medicine