oleander means Nerium oleander, a notoriously poisonous shrub in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, but nonetheless widely grown as an ornamental, having leathery lance-shaped leaves and deep rose-colored or white flowers. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 84 out of 100.
Why this word is great
OLEANDER — [Noun] A poisonous evergreen shrub with leathery lance-shaped leaves and clusters of deep rose or white flowers, cultivated for its deceptive beauty. From Medieval Latin oleander, possibly an alteration of Late Latin lorandrum, influenced by Latin laurus ("laurel") and rhododendron—a linguistic entwining of the noble and the deadly. Unlike "rhododendron" (a benign, showy cousin) or "laurel" (a symbol of triumph, its leaves edible and noble), the oleander is treachery in bloom. It is the glossy leaves that glint like polished jade beside a child’s playground, the candy-pink petals that drift into a picnic basket, the honeyed scent that lingers just before the first convulsions—nature’s reminder that loveliness and lethality often share the same stem.
noun
- Nerium oleander, a notoriously poisonous shrub in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, but nonetheless widely grown as an ornamental, having leathery lance-shaped leaves and deep rose-colored or white flowers.“"Cut a small branch of oleander from a thrifty plant, place it in a vial partly filled with rain water, so that the lower end of the branch may be immersed about half an inch in the water.”