What are the flower meanings and legends of oleander? A detailed guide for you
Oleander is also known as yangtao, jiaochudong, liuyeshu, yangtaomei, etc. It is an evergreen upright large shrub of the genus Nerium in the dogbane family, native to India, Iran and Nepal. It is cultivated in various provinces and regions of China, especially in the south, and is often planted in parks, scenic areas, along roadsides or beside rivers and lakes. Where it is cultivated north of the Yangtze River, it must overwinter in a greenhouse. Now let us take a look at the flower meanings and legends of oleander!
The flower meanings of oleander
The flower meaning of pink oleander is cursing and beware of danger, while the flower meaning of yellow oleander is deep friendship. Oleander flowers are fragrant, and the flowers grow clustered at the tips of the branches, gathering together like an open umbrella. They are funnel-shaped, with overlapping petals, and come in three colors: red, yellow and white. Among these, red is the natural color, while white and yellow are new varieties created through long-term artificial breeding.
Is oleander poisonous?
The whole oleander plant is highly toxic, and accidental ingestion by people or livestock is dangerous, so it should be avoided near wells and drinking water pools. The fragrance of oleander flowers can make people drowsy and reduce intelligence. The milky white liquid secreted by the stems, leaves, bark, flowers and fruit all contains a highly toxic substance called oleandrin. Excessive contact can easily induce cancers of the respiratory and digestive systems, but a small amount of short-term contact will not cause too much of a problem.
The legend of oleander
1. In legend, there was a beautiful girl named Tao who fell in love with a stubborn boy named Zhu, but Tao's family opposed it and beat Zhu to death. Tao was heartbroken and followed her lover in suicide for love. After the two came to heaven, God was moved and said he could grant them one request. Tao said what she loved most in her life was the beautiful peach blossom, while Zhu stubbornly wanted to keep the toughness of bamboo. From then on, there was one more plant in the world——oleander, blooming flowers like peach blossoms and bearing leaves like bamboo.
2. In legend, oleander was originally white. A beautiful princess loved to plant oleander and filled her palace with it. The tragedy began when the beautiful princess fell in love with her own retainer, but she met with opposition from the family. The fragile princess chose to die together with her lover. However, the retainer did not truly love her, but acted only for gain. After the sorrowful princess learned the truth, she killed herself beneath the oleander she loved. One person's blood soaked into the oleander, and the intense poison generated by the princess's resentment grew along with the roots and stems, blooming in the world.
The story of oleander
The daughter of the god of the earth was lovely and her skin was as white as frost, so people called her “Princess Baimiao”. Many outstanding young men tried to court her, but they could never obtain the approval of her father. One day, the handsome and accomplished god of plants came to visit. Princess Baimiao's father thought this young man was the most ideal son-in-law, so he found an opportunity to bring up the marriage with the young man.
Unexpectedly, this straightforward young man blurted out, “Princess Baimiao is indeed a beautiful and gentle girl, but her face lacks vitality. When her face has a pink color, I will naturally come to propose.” Hearing this, the god of the earth was very sad, and for his daughter's sake he had no choice but to seek help from the emperor of heaven.
The emperor of heaven then gave him a branch of oleander and instructed him to crush the pink flowers and apply them to the princess's face. After the princess washed her face, her frost-white skin gradually revealed a pink color. The god of plants came to propose as promised, and only then was this marriage happily united amid the blessings of the gods, adding another fine couple to the immortal realm. As for why the toxic oleander sap did not affect the princess's health, that is unknown.