Cascabela thevetia (syn. Thevetia peruviana) is a species of poisonous plant in the dogbane family Apocynaceae, native throughout Mexico and Central America and cultivated widely as an ornamental. It is a relative of Nerium oleander and thus is known by the common name yellow oleander.
Etymology
The name derives from the Spanish words cascabel, cascavel, or cascabela, which can refer to a small bell, a snake's rattle, or a rattlesnake itself. The name may also allude to the plant's toxicity being comparable to the venom of a rattlesnake. The specific epithet thevetia commemorates André de Thevet (1516–1590), a French Franciscan priest and explorer who explored Brazil and Guiana (where the plant is known as chapéu-de-napoleão, i.e. "Napoleon's hat").
Description
Cascabela thevetia is an evergreen tropical shrub or small tree. Its leaves are willow-like, linear-lanceolate, and glossy green in color. They are covered in a waxy coating to reduce water loss (typical of oleanders). Its stem is green and turns silver/gray as it ages. Flowers bloom from summer to fall. The long, funnel-shaped, sometimes fragrant yellow (less commonly apricot, sometimes white) flowers are in few-flowered terminal clusters. Its fruit is deep red-black in color, encasing a large seed that bears some resemblance to a 'Chinese lucky nut.'
Cascabela thevetia is effectively drought-resistant and tolerant to high temperatures, and hence has been naturalized in various semi-arid regions of India.
Religious importance
Its bright yellow flowers are used for religious purposes in India, including the worship practices of Hindu devotees.
