Whether you climb them, hug them or simply admire them, trees are easy to love. After all, they cleanse the air we breathe, offer shade from the sun and provide sweet, nutritious fruit. But love isn't exactly what you'll feel if you get too close to the manchineel tree. Known as the most dangerous tree in the world, the manchineel tree is found along the sandy beaches and mangroves in tropical climates stretching from Florida to the Caribbean and down into parts of Central and South America. This is one tree that can cause a world of hurt. The manchineel's small apple-like fruit definitely won't keep the doctor away — it packs such a poisonous punch that the Spanish conquistadors called it the manzanilla de la muerte or little apple of death. This ominous name may sound extreme, but history shows that indigenous peoples used the sap to poison their arrows and contaminate the water supply of the invading Spaniards.
While there are no reported instances in modern botanical literature of anyone dying from ingesting the innocent-looking fruit, if you were to bite into it, the sweet taste would quickly turn quite painful. And we're not talking about the uncomfortable burn of eating a super-hot pepper; the manchineel fruit will cause intense burning and severe swelling of your throat. The area around your mouth may get inflamed and blister, and potentially severe digestive problems can ensue.
Unfortunately, the danger doesn't stop there. Just touching the leaves, even briefly, or using the tree as nature's umbrella during a rainstorm will cause blistering lesions on your skin. And if you get any of the sap — or smoke from burning the wood — in your eyes, you will most likely experience temporary blindness.
I think the first time I heard about manchineel was in a book I read when I was about 10 years old. I think it was a book about a giant alligator, that came out soon after Jaws.
