Toxic ‘death tree’ can burn your skin if you stand under it – and its fruit makes you BLEED inside
THE WORLD'S "most dangerous tree" is so toxic that standing under it during rain will cause your skin to burn and blister.
Eating fruit from the tree can cause internal bleeding and even death – earning it the nickname "tree of death".
It's called the Manchineel, and is typically found on coastal beaches around the Caribbean and Americas.
The deadly tree also grows in brackish swamps among mangroves, reaching heights of nearly 50 feet.
Hallmarks of the tree include reddish-greyish bark, greenish-yellow flowers and shiny green leaves.
But despite its good looks, it's a killer: all parts of the three contain extremely strong toxins.
The Manchineel produces a milky sap containing powerful irritants.
Standing beneath the tree during rain will cause your skin to blister – even from just a small drop.
Burning the tree is also risky, as injuries to the eye can be caused by its smoke.
The tree produces a fruit that looks similar to apples.
But eating this fruit is potentially fatal – though no deaths have been recorded in modern times.
Ingesting the fruit is believed to produce severe gastroenteritis.
Symptoms include internal bleeding, shock, bacterial superinfection and blocking of the airway through swelling.
The fruit is said to taste "pleasantly sweet" at first.
But afterwards, the person experiences a "strange peppery feeling...gradually progress[ing] to a burning, tearing sensation and tightness of the throat".
These symptoms worsen until the victim can "barely swallow solid food because of the excruciating pain and the feeling of a huge obstructing pharyngeal lump".
Deadly animal sex facts
Here's some shocking facts you probably didn't know about animals who die for desire...
- If female ferrets don't have sex they will die of aplastic anaemia unless medical intervention occurs
- Some female spiders eat male spiders after they have finished mating with them because they want to use them as a form of nutrition to feed their offspring
- Both male and female octopuses die shortly after they have mated, the male dies a couple of months after and the female dies shortly after her eggs hatch because she starves herself to spend all her time protecting them
- Drone bees exist purely to have sex with the queen of their hive and then they die afterwards
- Female Pacific salmon die almost immediately after mating while the male salmon survive a little bit longer to protect the eggs
The Manchineel tree is native to the Caribbean, Florida, the Bahamas, Mexico, Central America, and the north of South America.
Many trees carry warning signs, or are marked with a red "X" on the trunk to highlight the danger.
Its Spanish name is manzanilla de la muerte, or the "little apple of death".
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In other news, an ancient volcano in Ecuador could partially collapse creating a deadly landslide.
A mysterious new virus uncovered in Brazil has been named after a "mermaid who lured soldiers to their deaths".
And scientists have warned that we're heading for another Titanic-style disaster – as the number of Antarctic cruises soars.
Had you heard about this tree of terror? Let us know in the comments!
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