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Oleander

Nerium oleander · Apocynaceae
6m
Mature height
10
Councils: no permit needed
0
Councils: exempt under a height limit
10
Councils: permit required
Oleander (Nerium oleander) growing in Sydney
Oleander · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Oleander is exempt in some councils and protected in others, and several exemptions carry a height limit. Check the table below against the council for your address before assuming a permit is not needed.

How to identify it

Narrow leathery leaves in whorls of three along the stem, and clusters of pink, white or red flowers through the warmer months. Milky sap when cut. Usually a dense multi stemmed shrub or small tree.

Where it grows in Sydney

Planted as a hardy screen across all of Sydney, particularly common in Canterbury-Bankstown, Georges River, Bayside and along older arterial roads.

Common problems

  • Every part of the plant is highly toxic to people, pets and livestock
  • Smoke from burning the material is toxic
  • Suckers and forms dense impenetrable thickets
  • Sap irritates skin and eyes

What removal involves

Exempt in most councils covered here. The species is small enough that removal is simple, but the toxicity matters for waste handling. Never burn oleander material and keep clippings away from where pets or children can reach them.

Council permit rules, council by council

Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council’s size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.

Council
Status
What it means
Northern Beaches
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Ku-ring-gai
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Hornsby Shire
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
The Hills Shire
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Blacktown City
Permit required
Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. Official rules
North Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Willoughby
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Lane Cove
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
City of Ryde
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Hunters Hill
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
City of Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Inner West
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Woollahra
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Waverley
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Randwick
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Bayside
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Georges River
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Strathfield
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Burwood
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Canterbury-Bankstown
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

Frequently asked questions

How toxic is Oleander really?

Seriously toxic. Ingestion of leaves or flowers can cause cardiac effects in people and animals, and smoke from burning the material is also toxic. Green waste should go to a proper facility rather than a home fire or compost.

Commonly confused with

Frangipani
Both are toxic, both are common in older Sydney gardens, and both bleed milky sap when cut

Related species

Frangipani (Plumeria rubra) growing in Sydney
Frangipani
Plumeria rubra
Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster glaucophyllus) growing in Sydney
Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster glaucophyllus
African Olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) growing in Sydney
African Olive
Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
Athel Tree (Tamarix aphylla) growing in Sydney
Athel Tree
Tamarix aphylla

Important note on council rules

This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.
Photo by Nicholas Frisardi via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Nerium oleander
Family
Apocynaceae
Origin
Mediterranean and southwest Asia
Mature height
3m to 6m
Canopy spread
3m to 5m
Growth rate
Fast
Foliage
Evergreen, narrow, leathery, in whorls of three
Typical lifespan
50 years plus
Root habit
Dense and suckering
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