The manchineel tree (Hippomane mancinella) is recognized as “the most dangerous tree in the world” by the Guinness Book of World Records because it contains deadly poison in every part.
The fruit of the manchineel tree looks like a small apple. Image: Freedom_wanted
The manchineel tree grows in the Caribbean, the Bahamas, the Gulf of Mexico, northern parts of South America, the Galápagos Islands and many places in Florida. When the Spanish first found this plant while colonizing the Americas, they named it the “death tree”. Even touching the bark can cause chemical burns, although the toxin is mainly in the fruit. Despite its sweet taste, manchineel berries can cause vomiting, diarrhea and severe seizures, according to IFL Science.
Radiologist Nicola Strickland once told of an encounter with a manchineel tree while on holiday in Tobago. After mistaking the manchineel fruit for a species of wild apple, she and her friends took a small bite. Not long after, the spicy taste in their mouths turned into a burning sensation. Within minutes, they had difficulty breathing due to blocked airways. Along with that, they experienced severe pain in the neck due to the poison seeping into the lymph nodes. Strickland and his friend were lucky to survive because they only ate a very small amount.
People who eat manchineel fruit may experience more serious symptoms such as low heart rate, swelling in the throat that may require a tracheal tube, gastrointestinal bleeding, and even death. The above reactions are believed to be caused by phorbol ester compounds in the resin and fruit.
Even if you don’t eat the fruit, the manchineel tree can cause damage without direct contact. A 2011 study detailed what happened to a group of students who took shelter from the rain under a manchineel tree on the island of Bequia in the West Indies and developed dermatitis and eye inflammation.
Perhaps the most dangerous thing about this plant is that it looks like a normal green tree. The tree grows up to 15 m high with many large branches, rough gray-red bark, and small yellow flowers. The leaves are green, smooth and serrated, about 5 to 10 cm long. The fruit of the tree resembles a small green apple, about 2.5 to 5 cm in size.