oleander

noun

1. a poisonous shrub, Nerium oleander, of the dogbane family, native to southern Eurasia, having evergreen leaves and showy clusters of pink, red, or white flowers, and widely cultivated as an ornamental.

noun

1. a poisonous evergreen Mediterranean apocynaceous shrub or tree, Nerium oleander, with fragrant white, pink, or purple flowersAlso called: rosebay

n.“rose bay,” a poisonous evergreen Mediterranean shrub, c.1400, from Medieval Latin oleander, probably (by influence of Latin olea “olive tree”) from Late Latin lorandrum, from Latin rhododendron (see rhododendron), itself altered by influence of Latin laurea “laurel,” on resemblance of leaves. This round-about etymology is supported by the French word for it, laurier rose.