The Handbook on Oleanders

Ed Barr

Ed Barr

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It is through flowers that Nature

expresses herself most harmoniously.

The Mother

Oleanders and Other Poisonous Plants

We would like to preface this section with observations by a number of members of the International Oleander Society concerning the poisonous qualities of oleanders. It is their contention that it has suffered bad press and they hope to rectify I this with factual data. Kewpie Gaido called it her "holy grail" to bring to the atten'' tion of the public the fact that although millions of oleanders are grown in southern Texas and on Galveston Island, there have been no reports of fatalities due to the ingestion of oleander leaves for many years. In fact, as far as we have been able to ascertain from various newspaper articles, fatalities from all poisonous plants are rare. (Poisonous mushrooms are an exception; as of this writing there is a recent report of the death of a child from ingestion of Death Cap mushrooms.) According to Gary Outenreath of Moody Gardens, there have been no accidental deaths attributed to the ingestion of poisonous plants since the early 1970's. He echoes Kewpie's sentiments by pointing out, ". . . the most unusual thing is that they [oleanders] are somewhat maligned in terms of the perception of toxicity. While they are very toxic, the Castor Bean is the third most toxic substance known to man and there is no antidote for it." Gary also mentions that azaleas and English Ivy are much more , poisonous than oleanders. In an interview with Elizabeth Head in 1995 she noted that in a recent article on poisonous plants in the Galveston newspaper, oleanders were not listed among the top ten most poisonous. According to the Spring '95 issue of Nerium News, the ten plants that most frequently cause human poisonings are: Philodendron, Pepper, Dumb Cane ( Dieffenbachia), Poinsettia, Holly, Pokeweed, Peace Lily, Jade Plant, Pothos( Devil's Ivy) and Poison Ivy

 Oleanders are widely grown throughout Florida, especially in seaside areas and traffic medians. In California hundreds of miles or freeways are planted with oleanders and they are featured plants at Disneyland, Disney World, Cypress Gardens, Moody Gardens and many other public parks and gardens. That they are not considered particularly risky to the public in such accessible locations may be due in part to a fact that  was constantly mentioned in discussions of their potential danger. The sap of oleanders, a clear, sticky substance, is extremely bitter and also a natural emetic so the smallest taste would likely cause a child, or an adult, to spit it out.

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immediately. In the movie Dragonwyck, Vincent Price poisons his wife by substituting ground oleander  for herbs. This is undoubtely an exaggeration since the taste would have been so horrible she probably would not have been able to swallow the fiirst bite. We have read of people taste remain with them for hours. As testimony to its poisonous quality, there are accounts of primitive tribes using oleanders as away of administering justice.

       Numerous plants that are known to be highly toxic are rotinely cultivated as prnamentals in the United states. Many members of the Euphorbiaceae family are poisonous  to some degree; the sap of some may cause adermatitis similar to poison ivy, others are so toxic the sap is used to tip poison arrows .poinsettias, poisonous members of the sane family, are grown by the millions to decorate  home as during  the Christmas holidays, and the pencil cactus, euphorbia tirucalli, caused widespread blindness among Mussolini's unsuspecting troops in north Africa during W.W.II when, after marching through fields of the plants, they rubbed their eye the Dumb Care, Dieffenbachia, is highly poisonous and yet remains one of the most popular indoor plants. One could add to this list Plumerias, Lantanas,manyb forms of Solanum, especially the Nightshade, and as mentioned above, Ricinus, the Caster Bean.

Nevertheless, all parts of the oleander plant - roots, stems, bark, leaves (both fresh and dried) and flowers- are poisonous to some degree and there have been reports of deaths from ingestion as far back as Theophrastus who mentioned the poisoning of animals during the campaign of Alexander the Great (334-323 B.C.). Animals, usually possessed of a sixth sense about which plants are poisonous, tends to stay away from them. (We would perhaps be remiss, however, not to offer these examples of the in consistency of animals' instincts regarding poisonous plants: Our beautiful white Persian cat munched our Christmas poinsettias throughout the holidays with, surprisingly, no obvious ill effects, Bob Newding's Muscovy duck follows him around as he prunes his oleanders, continuously eating and spitting out the leaves as they fall to the ground.) On

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painful irritation. Precautions are well worth taking when working with oleanders e the' clear, sticky sap may cause skin irritation for people with sensitive skin. The ge ot normal prudence when handling poisonous plants, even if they are something g familiar as poinsettias, is advised. Do not rub your eyes with your hands while corking with poisonous plants and always wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling them.

Although the above warnings should be taken very seriously, one finds certain authors who have gone to extremes by warning that the presence of oleander flow  gjs themselves can cause sickness in an enclosed area.

It is important to become familiar with the various kinds of poisonous plants in yol'r area. Some are wild but many are favorites in our homes and gardens. Teach children, the most frequent victims, to recognize and avoid them. Listed below are some of the most common poisonous plants with the potential to cause fatality. Many others have less extreme but still serious effects such as restricted breathing or respiratory paralysis, intense pain, diarrhea, vomiting, convulsions, permanent corneal damage, heart damage, coma, etc. For more information on poisonous plants and their symptoms, call or write the local Poison Control Center in your state

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To him who in the love of Nature holds Communion

with her visible forms,

she  speaks a various language.

                                                                               William Cullen Bryant

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