A recent directive from the Greek Ministry of Health has triggered widespread concern among school principals and municipalities, igniting what some observers have begun calling the country’s latest public debate: the “oleander war.”
The document, circulated to schools through the Ministry of Education, focuses on “information regarding the toxicity of the oleander plant and its use in green spaces.” It was accompanied by a five-page advisory—undated—issued by the National Public Health Organization.
The controversy stems from a striking contradiction.
The Ministry of Health’s text notes that according to Greece’s Poison Control Center, between 15 and 20 incidents of children ingesting parts of the oleander plant are recorded each year since 2020. Yet in every case, symptoms were mild and no antidote was ever required.
The EODY advisory, however, takes a far stronger stance.
It recommends that oleanders be removed from any public area where children might be present, including schools, parks, playgrounds, sidewalks—and even private home gardens.
In practice, critics say, this amounts to recommending the plant’s removal virtually everywhere.
From Recommendation to Obligation
The wording of the guidance appears to move beyond a simple recommendation.
“If immediate removal is not possible,” the advisory states, “areas containing oleander plants should be fenced off until the plants are removed, in order to prevent children from accessing them.”
For many school administrators and local authorities, that instruction effectively turns the suggestion into a practical obligation.
Yet one key question remains unanswered: Why has the issue suddenly emerged now?
The toxic properties of oleander have been known since antiquity. The plant is also one of the most common native species in the Greek landscape.
Its popularity stems not only from its appearance but also from its environmental resilience. Oleander thrives in hot, dry climates, making it particularly suited to Mediterranean conditions.
Nor is oleander unique in having toxic components.
Plants such as ivy, lantana and yew, as well as the leaves of potato and tomato plants, also contain toxic substances. For many plants, toxicity is simply a natural defense mechanism.
Scientists Call for Education, Not Eradication
The directive quickly triggered strong reactions among scientists and professionals in the green sector.
In a detailed statement, the Panhellenic Union of Geotechnical Professionals and Green Enterprises (PEEGEΠ) expressed firm opposition to what it describes as a blanket recommendation to remove and replace oleander plants.
Speaking to the newspaper Ta Nea, the union’s president Stavroula Katsogianni warned that the proposed mass uprooting of millions of plants would be economically, culturally, socially and environmentally damaging.
She also pointed out that official poisoning statistics show the risk is extremely small.
“According to Poison Control Center data, only 1.1% of poisoning cases are caused by plants, and of that 1.1%, just 5% involve oleander,” she said.
Instead of mass removal, PEEGEΠ proposes education and public awareness campaigns, along with a broader rethink of how society approaches school environments and urban greenery.
Katsogianni offered a telling example.
“I once stood in a schoolyard next to a palm tree,” she recalled. “One teacher said we should remove it because it has thorns. Another said children should learn that palm trees have thorns and that they shouldn’t approach them.”
“It depends,” she added, “on what kind of children you want to raise.”
Botanists Warn of Unnecessary Panic
The Hellenic Botanical Society has also expressed opposition.
In its statement, the society argues that the advisory creates unnecessary fear and panic.
“We believe the message being sent to society promotes the removal of a plant widely cultivated in public green spaces,” the statement said, “instead of primarily informing the public about the possible harmful effects of consuming it.”
Municipalities Split Over the Issue
Some municipalities have already announced plans to begin uprooting oleander plants from schools and parks.
Others are adopting a more cautious approach.
Local officials in several cities have emphasized that the presence of oleander in urban environments does not in itself pose an immediate danger unless the plant is ingested. Nevertheless, they say the issue will be treated seriously through precautionary measures.
In some places, however, the debate has already taken on a political dimension.
In one Attica municipality, a local newspaper criticized the mayor for planting oleanders—plants he is now reportedly being urged to remove.
In Greece, it seems, even a flowering shrub can quickly become a tool of political opposition.