Check Out These Cool Features!

Chloroplasts:
Nerium oleander has the capacity to photosynthesize, which means that it has chloroplasts to absorb the sun's energy.  One could think of chloroplasts as being very small solar panels that convert sunlight to energy.  Some other organisms that would have chloroplasts would be Milkweed, Primrose, and Horse Chestnut.




Phytoremediation:
Nerium oleander can thrive in areas that have a very high amount of lead or other toxic metals in their soil that normal plants would die in.  A study was done that looked at the different amounts of lead that accumulated in the plant when it was grown in soil that had a high lead content.  What was interesting is that most of the lead was kept out of the plant by the roots, but what parts were absorbed for the most part stayed in the roots.  The lead did not go into the areal parts meaning that if this plant were to be planted in an area with high lead concentrations, there would not be toxic chemicals released into the air.  This excites many conservationists because this plant could be planted in places, such as the Iberian Pyrite Belt in Portugal, which have very high metallic sulfide concentrations in their soils.  This could enable phytoremediation to happen, phyto meaning plant and remediation meaning to restore.  If Nerium oleander was planted in these areas, the toxic metal amounts would eventually decrease and these places could once again be ecologicaly thriving.


Drought Resistance:
Nerium oleander is considered to be very drought resistant.  This is because in times of less water it will often slow its growth and stop flowering.  It also has mechanisms, such as a waxy cuticle on its leaves, to help prevent water loss.


Vascular Tissue:
Nerium oleander contains xylem and phloem, which aid in transportation in the plant.  Xylem primarily transports water and other nutrients from the soil and phloem primarily transports sugars.


Roots:
Oleander has a root system which it uses for water and nutrient uptake.  The nutrients that are taken in are phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen calcium, and other elements used for different functions in the plant. For example: phosphorus is used in making phospholipid-bilayers in cell membranes.


Cell Wall:
Oleander has cell walls made of cellulose.  These are really good at supporting this organism however the consequence of that is that they limit its mobility.

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