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Wednesday 22 November 2017

Oleander, a Toxic Plant?

Yes, it is. That was what I have read online when I was searching information about the beautiful plant in my tropical garden. There were many pieces of information I got from reading and I was thinking, "shall I keep this plant in my garden or not?". I have to think about it for sure as we have dogs and small children at home. Well, before I have to continue blabbering on here, I have to tell you and show you the fragrant flower in our tropical garden.

                          Oleander in my tropical garden. 

Oleander which is called Nerium in other countries or Adelfa in the Philippines is a beautiful, showy and fragrant flower. It is easy to care shrub which can grow tall as high as 6 meters and the stems are straight where the flowers are on top of the stems. The flowers are in clusters and the leaves are in light green colors. They are in white, pink, yellow and in red variations.This plant is very common in my home country Philippines as well as in other Southeast Asian countries and in the subtropical countries.


Oleander / Nerium / Adelfa in my tropical garden.

Oleander is indeed a showy stunning plant but sad to say that it is a toxic plant one should be aware of especially if you have small children and pets at home. All parts of this plant are toxic due to the chemical ingredients oleandrin and digitoxigenin in Oleander. These chemical components are related to a heart medicine digitalis.

Oleander / Nerium / Adelfa in my tropical garden.

If you already have Oleander in your garden and you have no small kids and pets at home, I understand if you don´t get rid of this plant. Knowing that it is toxic, please wear gloves when you cut or trim Oleander because it can cause skin irritation and skin allergy. Don´t put the Oleander cuttings on fire as the smoke is toxic too. You might collapse after smelling the smoke or having a hallucination.

Oleander / Nerium / Adelfa in my tropical garden.

I have Oleander in my tropical garden and I am thinking of getting rid of this after reading my research about this plant but I have other thoughts not to destroy it because I know what to do to keep away from danger. I have planted this a few years ago and I just watered it and when I pruned the Oleander, I just threw them in my compost bin and nothing happened. It is just a few days ago that I know much about this plant that I am careful. My relatives who live nearby are informed about this plant. I know that Oleander is not the only toxic plant in my garden. As long as my relatives and I  know about the plants in my garden, they are safe.

Oleander / Nerium / Adelfa in my tropical garden.

Anyway, here are the signs of Oleander poisoning:

nausea
stomachache
dizziness
blood in the stool
heart problems

If ever this happens, bring the poisoned person to a doctor immediately.

Tips:

  1. Always use gloves in cutting the Oleander plants.
  2. Don´t use the Oleander plants as firewood in cooking.
  3. Don´t use the Oleander cuttings in stirring your food while cooking and don´t use this as a stick for your barbeque or making Schaslik.
  4. Don´t burn it as the smoke will poison you.
  5. Tell your kids the danger of this plant and not to play with this plant.

Source: http://web.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Oleander

Oleander / Nerium / Adelfa in my tropical garden.

Thank you very much for reading this blog. If you have anything to say about Oleander, please comment below. Have a great day! Please comment, like, pin, tweet and share this blog on your social media sites.

Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved by Thelma Alberts

6 comments:

  1. Oleander is everywhere in Spain as it doesn't need much water to grow. We have a dog but she seems to stay away from Oleander.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Darlene,

      Really? I supposed Spain is a warm country that is why Oleander flowers grow there. Our dogs stay away from this plant, too. I think the dogs know that this plant is harmful to them. Thank you very much for your nice comment.

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  2. Pretty flowers. Thanks for sharing the facts. I have this plant in my garden but I never knew about its poisoning part.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Reena,

      I never know about that too until I started a research about Oleander plants. I am glad I know about the poison because I have small nieces living nearby who often visit us. Thank you for your nice comment.

      Delete
  3. Great tips for those of us who know little about plants!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you very much Unknown. Happy Easter to you;-)

      Delete