Imagine a tree whose fruit is sweet and inviting but will send you to the hospital with excruciating cramps. The sweetest quickly turns to burning and causes your throat to swell and close. Where the fruit touches your mouth, blisters will form.
If you take shelter under this tree during rain, the water will contaminate and cause blistering lesions on your skin. If you use the tree’s wood as firewood, the smoke will burn your lungs and likely temporarily blind you.
It sounds like a tale straight from Snow White.
But this tree really exists.
It is the Manchineel tree or the “Most Dangerous Tree in the World.” Its fruits are fondly called “little apple of death” or “Manzanilla de la muerte” in Spanish.
It grows all along the coastlines and mangroves in the Caribbean, Florida, Central America, and South America.
How to identify the Manchineel tree?
Manchineel Trees are common in the Caribbean region. Some areas may mark the tree with a large red ‘X’ or have a sign posted nearby to give a warning. However, not all areas point them out, so it is essential to know what they look like if you plan to travel or live in those areas.
- Leaves: shiny, glossy, leathery-feel, oval-shaped with tiny teeth along the edges. They are about 2-4 inches (5-10 centimeters) long and 1-3 inches (2-8 centimeters) wide.
- Bark: reddish-grey color, with cracks or furrows.
- Fruits: green or yellow, sweet-smelling. They resemble small English apples, but only 1-2 inches in diameter.
- Flowers: tiny yellow flowers that grow on spikes at the end of the branches.
Manchineel Tree Poisoning
All parts of the Manchineel tree are toxic and should be avoided. The greatest risk occurs if you eat the fruit. If you eat the fruit, it can cause these symptoms:
- Blistering and swelling in the mouth and throat,
- Slowed heartbeat and low blood pressure
- Damage to digestive tracts, including pain, vomiting, abdominal bleeding, and dehydration
If the sap or smoke from burning the skin gets in your eyes, the symptoms can include:
- Chemical burn to eyes
- Temporary blindness
If the sap, contaminated rainwater, or leaves touch your skin, it can cause Manchineel tree rash:
- skin irritation
- redness
- blistering
What to do if you have any Manchineel Poisoning
If you have eaten the fruit, you need to seek first aid immediately. Eating the fruit could be fatal.
If your eyes have been exposed to the sap or smoke from the wood, rinse them with clean water. You may need to seek medical attention, for antibiotics to prevent any infection.
If you have a Manchineel tree rash, treat it like a sunburn or burn:
- Wash the affected area with clean water
- Use cold compresses or take a cool shower to soothe the burning sensation
- Use calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream to soothe the skin
- Use antihistamine if you’re experiencing severe symptoms
- See a doctor if your symptoms are severe
Personal Accounts of Manchineel Poisoning
During her vacation in Tobago, Caribbean, Nicola Strickland had an unfortunate encounter with Manchineel fruit poisoning.
I rashly took a bite from this fruit and found it pleasantly sweet. My friend also partook (at my suggestion). Moments later we noticed a strange peppery feeling in our mouths, which gradually progressed to a burning, tearing sensation and tightness of the throat. The symptoms worsened over a couple of hours until we could barely swallow solid food because of the excruciating pain and the feeling of a huge obstructing pharyngeal lump. Sadly, the pain was exacerbated by most alcoholic beverages, although mildly appeased by pina coladas, but more so by milk alone.
Nicola Strickland
Over the next eight hours, our oral symptoms slowly began to subside, but our cervical lymph nodes became very tender and easily palpable. Recounting our experience to the locals elicited frank horror and incredulity, such was the fruit’s poisonous reputation.
Reddit User u/gorthonperson described their experience eating the Manchineel tree fruit.
0-3 hours: mild swelling of mouth and throat with small lump in throat forming after
~1.5 hrs noticeable when swallowing but not particularly painful, after which all symptoms to mouth/throat subsided. (No effect on breathing.)
1.5 – 48 hours: mild stomach tightness and soreness. There were stretches where the stomach pain approached moderate.
2 – 36 hours: initially had mild diarrhea that soon graduated into severe diarrhea that lasted on and off for much of the next day and a half (with sensation of moderate sphincter burning at some points when pooping). The worst part of this encounter was definitely the diarrhea. It wasn’t soo bad that we were stuck at home but we had to stay within 5 mins of a bathroom.
u/gorthonperson
Conclusion
On your next vacation to the tropics, be on the lookout for Manchineel trees. These innocent-looking trees are often found along coastlines and mangroves in Central America, South America, Florida, and the Caribbean.
If you are traveling with young children, you need to be extra careful, as they often put things in their mouths without consideration. If you believe you have Manchineel poisoning, contact a local doctor.