Nerium oleander

Description

Branches are glabrous and exude sticky latex when cut. Young branches are green. Leaves are usually in whorls of three, 10-15 x 1-2 cm, linear-lanceolate, tapering at both ends, acuminate, thick, leathery, midrib prominent, nerves numerous, petiole 5-7.5 mm long. Flowers are white, pink or dark red, single or double, fragrant, 3-4 cm across, peduncle and pedicel hairy, bracts small, 5-7.5 mm long. Calyx is ca. 6 mm long, divided into 5 linear, acute lobes. Corolla tube is 1.8 cm long, hairy within, throat narrow, ending in five twisted petals, tips rounded. At the throat of the corolla there is a corona of 5 scales cleft into 4-7 linear segments. Stamens have short filaments, anthers adhering to stigma, connectives hairy, produced upward into long thread-like hairy appendages. Ovary has two distinct carpels, style filiform, thickened upward; stigma two lobed. Fruit is 12-20 cm x 7 mm, composed of a pair of follicles that split along one side to release the seeds. The seeds are oblong, with a plume of hairs at one end.

Source: Pinkka e-learning: Tropical Plants of Economic Importance (AGRI-247) - Angiosperms: dicots CC BY 4.0

Growing form

An erect evergreen shrub or small tree, up to 6 m tall.

Source: Pinkka e-learning: Tropical Plants of Economic Importance (AGRI-247) - Angiosperms: dicots CC BY 4.0

The map represents observations of this taxon, but it may not be used as a distribution map.

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Observations
  • Total squares
Checklist
FinBIF master checklist
Scientific name
Nerium oleander
Author
L.
Vernacular names
  • oleanteri (Finnish)
Identifier
http://tun.fi/MX.5009734
Taxon rank
species
Expert
  • Jouko Rikkinen
DNA barcode sequences
Nerium oleander
32 public records
Informal groups
  • Vascular plants