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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Nerium oleander (Oleander) |
Nerium oleander (APOCYNACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Nerium oleanderL.
Published in Sp. Pl. 209 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Apocynaceae Juss. (The Dogbane Family)
7 species from the Apocynaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Oleander, Rose Bay |
Maltese name(s) : |
Difla, Olejandru, Siġret il-Ġarab |
Status for Malta : |
Naturalised Alien. Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492 (Columbus' discovery of the New World)
and spreads and integrates to form established, non-invasive populations.
Species may become become invasive if it widespreads rapidly. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Macro-Phanerophyte ( high trees usually over 5 m high ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
April – December |
Colour of Flowers: |
Red, White or Pink |
Toxicity: |
Highly toxic and can lead to death even if consumed in minute quantities |
Name Derivation : |
Nerium: ()
oleander: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Encouraged to be planted in the wild that is in rural areas including ODZ. |
Remarks : |
A riparian short tree that is native to the Mediterranean region including the south of Sicily. Nerium oleander possibly existed in Malta before man, but current known populations in the Maltese islands seem to be cultivated or naturalised in suitable habitats. Some trees which were planted or naturalised in valley sides have grown to admiriable large sizes. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Stems up to 4 m. Leaves 6-12(-15) x 1.2-2(-3) cm, linear-lanceolate, acute, coriaceous. Calyx densely glandular inside. Corolla (2-)3-4 cm in diameter, usually pink; tube 2 cm, the lobes 2 cm, obtuse, patent. Anther-appendages long, hairy, twisted. Follicles 8-16 x 0.5-1 cm, erect, reddish-brown. | |
Habitat in Europe |
River-banks and river-gravels. Frequently planted for ornament, and perhaps only naturalized in some areas
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Cultivated as ornamental tree with some naturalised populations occurring mostly in valley sides, damp maquis or persistent in abandoned farms or field margins. Native to central and east Mediterranean region (including Sicily) where it occurs primarily as a riparian tree in wetland areas. It might have been native in Malta too, but current records appear to be naturalised from cultivated origins.
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Distributional range |
Mediterranean region, S. Portugal
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Native region outside Europe |
Throughout the Mediterranean area and eastwards to central Asia.
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Albania, the Balaeric Islands, Corse, Crete, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Turkey (European part), Introduced in the Azores
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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? AE Ag Al Bl(I M) Co Cr Cy Ga(F) Gr Hs(S) IJ It Ju Li LS Lu Ma Sa Si(S) Tn Tu(A E) [cAz Az(F P S T) aSi(M)]
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
