I wonder about oleander

[Alpo]

It has no use. The wood is too small and too flimsy to be used for lumber. The leaves and flowers are poisonous.

 

Why do people grow it?

 

When I was a child, me and all of my friends had this habit chewing on plant life. Pull a weed, or piece of grass, and chew on it. A neighbor had an oleander bush, and we were all warned not to chew it.

 

I one time pulled up an elephant ear and bit into the stalk. Don't do that. It's also poisonous.

 

Back in the 80s, when I played D&D, in one of the games we had "pipe weed". This could be had at most inns. Just like, in colonial times, where you could get a pipe of tobacco at a tavern. But in this universe, "pipe weed" was  marijuana. 

 

When questioned about tobacco, the DM said that no one would dare to grow that. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't good to eat. The only reason to grow it would be for the nicotine in it, which, as we all know, is a deadly poison. Anyone growing tobacco would be, at the least, run out of town. Quite possibly they would be killed. because the only reason for growing such a poisonous plant, would be to supply poison to members of the assassin's guild.

 

And nobody wanted them around.

 

I thought of this yesterday, while walking the dog. One house we passed had oleander as a border hedge, going all the way to the street. Worthless was sniffing around in it, and I told her not to chew on it, as it was poisonous.

 

Then I thought WHY DO PEOPLE GROW THIS POISONOUS PLANT?

 

Thoughts?

[Smoky Pistols]

Probably because it will grow just about anywhere and makes a very dense, tall cover, so it makes a good hedge.  Plus it flowers, which some feel makes it nicer to look at than say boxwood.

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

12 minutes ago, Alpo said:

Balance of original post removed merely to .

Then I thought WHY DO PEOPLE GROW THIS POISONOUS PLANT?

Thoughts?

 

Alpo:

      The most common reason, is that they may not be fully aware of the dangers. 

      We almost bought some Cardboard Palms until one of the workers at Lowes told us the story of how he handled the plant with his bare hands and upon wiping his eyes from the sweat it started burning them. He told us that he came very close to becoming blind!

      Our research later revealed the issue, along with its dangers to dogs; however, we could not understand why a store would sell such a plant, and even if they do, why they would not post a sign regarding the dangers.

[Cypress Sun]

I certainly can't think of any good reason to have Oleander around. I personally detest the plant. Pain in the butt to trim, the white sap gets all over you.  Everything about it is poisonous and the damn orange caterpillars put cocoons all over your house. They later turn into moths that look like wasps but are harmless.

 

I like them about as much as I like sandspurs.

[Alpo]

1 hour ago, Cypress Sun said:

I like them about as much as I like sandspurs

I'us thinkin', "He must be one of us. He knows the state plant."

 

 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

One reason, is the fact it's hard to kill.

See a bunch of'em here in the Mojave.

They also don't need much water........

I don't like'em either.

OLG

[Cypress Sun]

1 hour ago, Alpo said:

I'us thinkin', "He must be one of us. He knows the state plant."

 

 

 

Yep, and and the mosquito is the state bird, with the love bug the runner up. But when you live in "paradise" you got to put up with a few pests, not to mention the Canadians during the winter months.....at least they go home in the spring.

[Pat Riot]

I think a lot has to do with these pretty pink things on these evil poisonous plants 

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

just to jerk some folks chain , I have about 50 tobacco plants scattered around the place 

 

  can be used as a natural bug repellent , I have been told , and it has pretty blue flowers 

 

  CB 

[Alpo]

1 hour ago, Cypress Sun said:

...at least they go home in the spring.

No, they just come north to the panhandle.

[Yul Lose]

Quite a few years ago a friend of mine drew a desert Bighorn sheep tag for the Oracopia Mountains east of Palm Springs and Indio. We attended the bighorn sheep orientation program put on by the game and fish department and bighorn sheep society north of Brawley, Ca. and one of the things I learned from one of the biologists specializing in bighorn sheep was that far more sheep in the herd around the Palm Desert/Palm Springs area died from eating oleanders than were killed by mountain lions. 

[Utah Bob #35998]

1 hour ago, Yul Lose said:

Quite a few years ago a friend of mine drew a desert Bighorn sheep tag for the Oracopia Mountains east of Palm Springs and Indio. We attended the bighorn sheep orientation program put on by the game and fish department and bighorn sheep society north of Brawley, Ca. and one of the things I learned from one of the biologists specializing in bighorn sheep was that far more sheep in the herd around the Palm Desert/Palm Springs area died from eating oleanders than were killed by mountain lions. 

So much for sheep being smart enough not to eat poisonous plants!

 

[Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438]

We have a solution for poisonous plants, most poisonous snakes, most biting bugs and spiders, and too many octogenarian drivers - it's called Winter, and it either kills 'em off with the first frost or drives them south to Florida.  

 

Life can be harsh in the Northeast. 

 

LL