Nerium oleander is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the
dogbane family
Apocynaceae, toxic in all its parts. It is the
only species currently classified in the genus
Nerium. It is most commonly known as
oleander, from its superficial resemblance to the unrelated
olive Olea. It is so widely cultivated that no precise region of origin has been identified, though southwest Asia has been suggested. The ancient city of
Volubilis in Morocco may have taken its name from the
Berber name
oualilt for the flower. Oleander is one of the most poisonous of commonly grown garden plants.