Nerium oleander L.
Eng.: Oleander. Spa.: Adelfa, baladre. Fre.: Laurier rose. Ara.: Defla, nefla. Tam.:/ Tamahaq: Illili, alili, llili, elal, elel, talilit, alidji, anidj, anini, ariri, ed.
Evergreen shrub, hermaphrodite, up to 3(4) m in height, erect, slightly branched. Trunk sometimes well defined, arborescent, straight or slightly tortuous, up to 40 cm in diameter, but usually with stems 3-20 cm in diameter. Bark smooth, brown-ashen, dark and slightly fissured on older stems. Younger branchlets slightly villous, greenish or reddish. Leaves (5-20 × 1-4 cm) opposite or whorled in 3-4, longly lanceolate, attenuated at the base, on a short petiole, with whitish and well defined midrib, very coriaceous, glabrous, deep green on the upper side and slightly lighter on the underside. Inflorescence in corymbiform cymes, at the end of the branches. Flowers very showy (3-5 cm in diameter), slightly odorous. Calyx campanulate, with 5 acute and lanceolate lobes, slightly villous, green or reddish. Corolla is a type of tube that at 2-3 cm opens in 5 petals in the shape of a star, with a ± straight base; then, in the upper half, petals are curved towards the right. At the base of the petals there are some small appendages, laciniate, with the appearance of another tiny corolla called corona, that is the same colour as the corolla (usually pink, rarely reddish or white). Fruit an elongated follicle 8-16 cm, subcircular in cross section and with a slightly angled surface. At maturity, it opens longitudinally into two valves, releasing numerous seeds, with a feathery, white tuft.
Flowering:
May to October.
Fruiting:
July to November.
Habitat:
Near watercourses, whether permanent or temporary, from near sea level to about 2,000 m in altitude. From semiarid (even arid alongside watercourses) to subhumid bioclimate, on inframediterranean to lower mesomediterranean floors. It is often the dominant species in the watercourses of the driest areas.
Distribution:
Mediterranean region, reaching Iran and Oman to the E. In North Africa it is widely distributed with the exception of Egypt and the westernmost portion of the Sahara.
Conservation status:
Relatively common and widely distributed species. In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, it is listed as Least Concern (LC) at global level (Lansdown, 2013). In the Livre Rouge de la flore vasculaire du Maroc (Fennane, 2021) it has been considered as Least Concern (LC).