Oleander?

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by luar1983, Sep 26, 2007.

  1. luar1983

    luar1983 Member

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    wife believes plant (on left) is oleander.
    with 3 dogs, she is concerned about having in yard.
    Help, please.
     

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  2. saltcedar

    saltcedar Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Yes it's Oleander.

    HTH
    Chris
     
  3. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Don't know if dogs would come to harm, but it is a high-risk plant - I've read that it is one of the commonest causes of poisoning in horses, where it is grown. So it might be as well to be rid of it.
     
  4. Joy Cooper

    Joy Cooper Active Member

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    Every single part of oleander is poisonous, including the root system, & extreme care needs to be taken if removing it as it is deadly to humans. It was a popular garden planting in this area & was seen in older gardens, but most, now, seem to have been removed.
     
  5. Joy Cooper

    Joy Cooper Active Member

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    Further info re oleander. It remains toxic even in its dry state & people here are advised not to use it as fuel for their wood-fired bbqs (grillers) because of its high-risk toxicity. It is also very poisonous to animals. All in all, an extremely dangerous plant.
     
  6. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    I was told even to burn on a bonfire is not advisable because of the poison smoke
     
  7. Joy Cooper

    Joy Cooper Active Member

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    That is most certainly correct, Liz. Don't know how the plants in the gardens around town were disposed of, because they can't even be chipped & used for mulch. Overall, they are quite a problem plant, aren't they?
     
  8. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    It is only poisonous if ingested. Should be OK to chip them up, as long as you wear a dust mask, and don't eat the chippings produced.
     
  9. saltcedar

    saltcedar Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    One wonders if these same concerned folks also grow:

    Datura/Brugmansia
    Daphne
    Lupine
    Vinca
    Rhododendron
    Holly
    Caesalpinia/Senna/Cassia
    Asclepias/Calotropis
    Aconitum
    Euphorbia
    Delphinium/Larkspur
    Digitalis
    Nicotiana


    ...And think nothing of the danger?
     
  10. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    A lot of those, while poisonous, combine their toxicity with such a revoltingly disgusting taste (often acrid/burning), that the likelihood of being able to eat enough to get poisoned are very low. It is true that some of them are fairly risky, though.

    Oleander, by contrast, is fairly high on the list of plants for which serious poisoning incidents (particularly for livestock) are recorded. Presumably it doesn't taste so awful, so animals may go on eating till they get a lethal dose.

    Holly is not very poisonous at all, deer and horses often strip hollies bare, without suffering any ill effect at all (not so the holly, though!!). People are a bit more susceptible, but you'd still have to eat quite a lot of holly berries to be poisoned.

    Several lupins are also edible, and grown as fodder crops and even for human food.
     
  11. saltcedar

    saltcedar Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    You first! ;-)

    Regards
    Chris
     
  12. Joy Cooper

    Joy Cooper Active Member

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    No saltcedar, I grow none the plants you mention, in fact my brother nearly died after eating part of a datura flower when he was about 2yrs old. The toxin in oleander is in the sap of the plant & affects all of it. It really is not a plant to be treated lightly.
     
  13. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Yes I do. Holly not by choice but because it is a weed is regularly pruned by the goats. I keep them away from Rhodos, daphne etc. It may be old wives tales but the Oleander has come up time and time again. I even rember as a youngster when we first moves to Oz at a desert mining place called Mt Isa NOT to pick the flowers. They grew and probably still do in profusion. I have also seen them as beautiful ornamental balls along the lake Como and thought at the time I might do that with the one I had. It has since died under a whole lot of blackberry growth that has finaly been removed

    Liz
     
  14. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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  15. luar1983

    luar1983 Member

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    Thanks all for responses.
    considering responses, i will transplant carefully.
     

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