Oleander plant is pretty but deadly

FRIDAY, JAN. 20: The attractive oleander – widely planted in Bermuda and responsible for the recent deaths of eight cows  — is said to be one of the most poisonous plants in the world.

All parts of the plant — leaves, flowers, seeds, stems and twigs — contain a total of four poisons and a handful of leaves is enough to cause death even in large animals like cows and horses.

Despite its deadly nature, the flower is popular in tropical and subtropical areas because it thrives in dry conditions and has attractive flowers and a pleasant scent.

The oleander can be found in several colours, with red and pink being the most common.

The lethal dose of the green oleander leaves for cattle and horses has been found be just 0.005 per cent of the animal’s body weight.

The leaves remain toxic even when they fall from the plant and dry out.

Oleander is a perennial, evergreen shrub or small tree that can grow up to 25 feet tall. It has sharply pointed, leathery leaves eight to ten inches long with a prominent mid-vein.

The flowers usually have five petals. The fruit pods contain many seeds, each with a tuft of brown hairs.

The poisons contained in oleander are digitoxigenin, neriin, oleandrin and oleonondroside.

Bermuda large animal expert Dr Dane Coombs said that, due to its bitter taste, animals generally avoid oleander and rarely eat it unless it is mixed in with other feed.

Cases of human poisoning with oleander are extremely rare.

Animals often die before symptoms — which include irregular heartbeat, a weak pulse, difficulty in breathing and damage to the nervous system including confusion and disorientation — are spotted.