Oleander is a woody bush with branched rods, narrowed leaves and large, gorgeously scented flowers in pink or white that bloom at the end of the branch from June to September. The flowers create dry fruits with a double follicle shape full of abundant seeds. Oleander can be found on the edges of rivers or in gardens, where it requires a lot of heat and water. Oleander grows in many locations like Mauritania, Morocco and Portugal, eastward through Mediterranean regions, to the Sahara, the Arabian peninsula, Southern Asia and Yunnan in southern parts of China. Perfumers can reproduce the oleander fragrance using raw materials.
Legend has it, soldiers of the Napoleonic army were poisoned during the Spanish campaign after eating grilled meat from skewers made of oleander wood.
