dictionary help| oleander | medical dictionary |
<botany> A beautiful evergreen shrub of the Dogbane family, having clusters of fragrant red or white flowers. It is native of the East Indies, but the red variety has become common in the south of Europe. Called also rosebay, rose laurel, and South-sea rose.
Every part of the plant is dangerously poisonous, and death has occured from using its wood for skewers in cooking meat.
Origin: F. Oleandre (cf. It. Oleandro, LL. Lorandrum), prob. Corrupted, under the influence of laurus laurel, fr. L. Rhododendron, Gr.; rose + tree.
(01 Mar 1998)
olea, oleaceous, oleaginous, oleamen < Prev | Next > oleandomycin, oleandomycin phosphate, oleandrine
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