Oleander
Plants and Trees in the Bible
The oleander is a flowering shrub that can reach 1–4 meters (3–13 feet) in height and has narrow leaves like a willow. The flowers are pink, with doubled petals that make it look like a rose (hence “rose” in Sirach). The leaves, flowers, and milky resin are very toxic. The flowers usually appear in June and range from white to pink in color. The seed pod releases a fluffy seed that may be carried some distance by the wind.
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More about it
The Oleander Nerium oleander can be found throughout Israel from the Carmel range to the Jordan Valley, inhabiting especially the creek beds that fill with water after heavy rains. It has now become a popular garden shrub. Even in the dry area east of the Jordan it may be found in abundance. Zohary considers the place name “Ardat” to be related to the modern Hebrew word harduf, which refers to the oleander shrub. Hepper and others hold that the Greek word rodon in and refers to oleander, but a small majority identifies rodon as the Phoenician rose (see 6.1.5 Tulip (mountain tulip, “rose of Sharon”)). RSV renders it “rose” in these passages. Some scholars have contended that the Hebrew word ‘aravah (“willows” in RSV) in must refer to the oleander, but there is no concrete evidence for it.
Also in Wild Trees and Shrubs
Sources
Plants and Trees in the Bible, Animals in the Bible and Human-made Things in the Bible © United Bible Societies, 2025 (adapted from Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible by Robert Koops, All Creatures Great and Small: Living Things in the Bible by Edward R. Hope, and The Works of Their Hands: Man-made Things in the Bible by Ray Pritz), CC BY-SA 4.0; adapted for eRhema