The reason oleander is poisonous is that the whole plant contains tissues with cardenolides in them, which are steroids produced by plants to deter predators. These cardenolides exert positive inotropic effects that strengthen the force of the heartbeat. The primary cardenolide in oleander is oleandrin. The sap from oleanders is poisonous and the smoke from burning oleander wood is toxic. When touched, the sap of oleanders can cause allergic reactions, hives and rashes. Touching your eyes after touching oleander can cause inflammation, redness and extreme discormfort . If toxins are absorbed through the skin, it can cause a slow or irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, cardiac arrest, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, headaches, confusion, dizziness or lethargy. Oleander is a large, dense evergreen shrub. Its stems are upright, sturdy, and change as the plant ages. Young stems are smooth, shiny, flexible and green. Mature stems are light grey-brown, thin and slightly rough. Leaves are lanceolate (long, narrow, tapering), thick, leathery, dark green and smooth and grow in whorls of 3 or 4 leaves around the stem. They are usually 4-10 inches long and 0.5-1.5 inches wide. Oleander leaves have a slightly paler underside and a pale, prominent midrib with distinct veins. The flowers are funnel shaped and have 5 petals that slightly overlap. They grow in clusters at tips of the branches and can be single (single layer of petals) or double (multiple layers of petals). They can be lots of colours, including pink, red, white, peach, coral, yellow or salmon. Oleander is distinguishable by its whorled green lanceolate 4-10 inch leaves, clusters of 5 petalled flowers in various colours, sturdy upright stems with thick glossy green twigs usually reaching 6-12 feet high and sticky sap exuded from damaged stems. Not that you’d want to really touch the sap to see if it’s sticky or not. Oleander is commonly found in temperate, subtropical and tropical areas. It grows in places like Florida, Texas, the Mediterranean and California, and also can be grown in the UK in pots that are moved indoors in winter.
If ur not @ _--Shadow--__ u can ignore this :D Btw I mispelled dis. co . MFort because it tagged it (?) not because I can’t spell it. I think I did a bit too much work.
