1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey 2 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel bomb here. Whether you climb them, 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: hug them, or merely admire them, trees are one part 4 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: of nature that are so easy to love, helping produce 5 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:19,759 Speaker 1: the air we breathe, offering shade from the sun and 6 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: providing sweet, nutritious fruit and nuts. But love isn't exactly 7 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 1: what you'll feel if you get too close to the 8 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:29,159 Speaker 1: mans neel tree. Known as the most dangerous tree in 9 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 1: the world. It's found along sandy beaches and mangroves and 10 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 1: tropical climate stretching from Florida to the Caribbean and down 11 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: into parts of Central and South America, and this tree 12 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: can cause a world of hurt. The mansion eels small 13 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: apple like fruit definitely won't keep the doctor away. It 14 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: packs such a poisonous punch that the Spanish conquistadors called 15 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,840 Speaker 1: it LeMond Andia de la morte, or little apple of Death. 16 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: The ominous name may sound extreme, but history shows that 17 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: indigenous people's used the sap to poison their arrows and 18 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: can staminate the water supply of the invading Spaniards. While 19 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 1: there are no reported instances in modern botanical literature of 20 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: anyone dying from ingesting the innocent looking fruit. If you 21 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: were to bite into it, the sweet taste would quickly 22 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:18,119 Speaker 1: turn quite painful. Mansioneel fruit cause intense burning and severe 23 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: swelling of the throat. The areas around the mouth may 24 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 1: get inflamed and blister, and potentially severe digestive problems can ensue. Unfortunately, 25 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 1: the danger doesn't stop there. Just touching the leaves even briefly, 26 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: or using the tree as an umbrella during a rainstorm 27 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 1: will cause blistering lesions on your skin, and if you 28 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: get any of the sap or smoke from burning the 29 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 1: wood in your eyes, you'll most likely experience temporary blindness. 30 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,319 Speaker 1: Symptoms may last eight hours before they begin to subside. 31 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: But the tree isn't entirely evil. The deep growing roots 32 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: prevent soil erosion, and it provides a safe home and 33 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: full belly for at least one lucky reptile, the grobo 34 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: or striped iguana of Central and South America, which is 35 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: immune to the tree's poison. And despite the risk, removing 36 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 1: the mansion eel and even using the harvested wood is 37 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: possible after burning it at the base and standing far 38 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: far away, The fallen tree is dried in the sun 39 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:17,679 Speaker 1: until it's safe to cut. The wood is then used 40 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 1: to make beautifully, unique and safe furniture. While many manchineel 41 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: trees are marked with a large red X or a 42 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: sign explaining the danger, you'll want to know what to 43 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 1: look out for should you ever happen to be traveling 44 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: in an area where they grow. The bark is a 45 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: reddish gray, and the shiny leaves can be two to 46 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:39,360 Speaker 1: four inches long and one to three inches wide, laid 47 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: out in an alternating pattern on the stem, along with 48 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: spikes of small yellowish green flowers. For our metric friends, 49 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 1: those leaves are five to ten centimeters by two by 50 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 1: eight centimeters. So before you pick up what looks like 51 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 1: a free afternoon snack or lean against a random tree 52 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: while exploring a tropical destination, stop and make sure it's 53 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: not a manchineel. Sure it helps clear the air, offers shade, 54 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: and produces fruit, but this is one tree you'll definitely 55 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: want to love from afar. Today's episode was written by 56 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 1: Katie Carmen and produced by Tyler Clang. For more in 57 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: this and lots of other topics, visit how stuffworks dot com. 58 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio. For more 59 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, 60 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.