Manchineel Tree: The Deadliest Tree On Earth 

I've been asking for this one for a while. It's insane how deadly this tree is. You can't even kill it with fire without being poisoned. Sometimes, evolution just turns it up to 12.

I remember being warned about the manchineel when scuba diving in the Caribbean. The trees hold shorelines and protect wetlands from erosion.

Manchineel Tree: My fruits are off limits. So are my leaves. You also can't even use my logs for building. Generally, do not be around me at all, I don't like company. Humanity: Then what use are you?! Burn it to the ground! Manchineel Tree: Go on then... make my day.

General rule of thumb I've come up with from watching various nature documentaries: If it oozes white and *isn't* a dandelion, *STAY THE HELL AWAY.*

There’s a small town on the east coast of Costa Rica named Manzanillo. Originally called Manchineel by the English speaking Afro-Caribbean people. Renamed by the Hispanic Tico people to Manzanillo. It got it’s name from this tree because there were so many growing there. They have been pretty much wiped out but a friend of mine found a sapling while cleaning the beach and saved it as a reminder of the real name for this town. It’s still there and people picnic under it. I will see about getting a sign put on it.

Me a few minutes after eating a handful of Manchineel Apples: "wHY Is it sPIcy-"

I tried one of the fruit as a child on vacation. Inspired by the hermit crabs I saw eating them, I nibbled on one just a little bit (I'd considered it might be poisonous, thankfully...) I then spent the next couple of hours doubled over from a horrible burning sensation all the way down my esophagus.... But it was delicious!

Because this tree has fruit I hypothesized that there was something that ate it. The purpose of fruit is to get an animal to eat your seeds and then poop them out later spreading them around. And the purpose of the poison is to keep the wrong animals from eating your fruit or your leaves or touching your bark etc etc. Chances are if you examine iguana poop that had eaten of this tree you'd find seeds.

Another dangerous tree is the gympie-gympie. It belongs to the genus Dendrocnide, which means tree nettle, which is accurate.

I feel really bad for the people who had to find this out the hard way…

Imagine being the friend of the tortoise or iguana who wanted you to try this fruit because it was “the bomb” and you just had to try it yourself! I guess you could say, it was to die for!

Any theories on why the poison evolved? I know peppers evolved their spice to repel insects but still let birds eat their fruit leading to easy seed dispersal. Same kinda thing with the reptiles that can eat it? Poising keeps other animals and insects away but still allows reptiles to access it and spread the seeds? That’s be my guess but curious if y’all have any additional insight!

My professor was telling us about when he was doing his graduate degree in Hawaii and talked about how he almost burned by rain from a tree. I wonder if this is the one he was thinking of?

A British couple once visited Tobago on vacay. They saw the trees on the beach with fruits and thought to have a taste. Didn't take long before locals rushed them to the hospital for treatment. Luckily They had A recovery

What are the mechanisms by which those tortoises and iguanas avoid the poisoning effects?

So… why is this tree so toxic? What caused it to go ballistic on whatever herbivores we’re consuming it’s fruit? How does this toxicity help it survive?

"Even touching the bark causes blisters on your skin" meanwhile cameraman: hehe fruit goes brrrr

Reminds me of oleanders. Prbly not as dangerous but still ridiculously poisonous for no reason. And it’s pretty.

Could we get an episode about lotus the sacred flower🙏🏻

I remember when I was in Costa Rica and on this absolutely beautiful beach there was a massive Manchineel tree that a small family was relaxing under. 😅

This is one living entity that communicates "leave me alone" clearly

Animalogic: “This tree will kill you! This tree wants you dead! The fruit will end. Your. Life.” Also Animalogic: 3:39 “Though there hasn’t been any modern reports or fatalities associated with eating the little apple of death.”

True story. Moved to the USVI in early '83. Fruit everywhere! Mangos, papayas, tamarinds, guavas... We ate free fruit frequently. Driving down a beachfront road one day, we see little, green, apple-like fruits all over the ground. We stop, and both my companion and I each pick up a fruit. I immediately bite into it, while my more prudent companion wondered aloud why it was all over the ground, if it was edible. I immediately spit out the unchewed bite, which was sweet. And then it burned! It burned my lips and mouth and throat for hours. We drove back to town, and asked a friend about it, and that was when we learned of the manchineel. Clearly, I survived, but it was a scary few hours. I think knowledge of the manchineel tree should be taught to every newcomer or tourist to any place they grow.

I learned this from the game Fate/Grand Order, of all things. During a mission to the Carribean, one of the characters eats one before consulting one of the resident adventurers, only surviving because she's basically beyond human.

Could you do a video on the Visayan leopard cat please? They’re like leopards but stuck in the body of a kitten.

Tasha is amazing. Love whenever she shows up as a host and teach us about the plant world. Keep up the great videos Animalogic! EDIT: I'd love to hear about plants/fruits that are safe for humans but poisonous/dangerous to other animals.

When you really, really REALLY don't want anything to eat you

With summer coming up, I think you should do blackberry plants! I love them and find them fascinating

So surprised these don't grow in Australia

Aparentemente se ve inofensiva. Que terror. Gracias Animalogic por estos interesantísimos documentales. No se imaginan cuánto he aptendido.

There is a tree in south east asia called Rengas (Gluta sp) which is in the anacardiaceae family. The leaves, sap and leaf powder cause contact dermatites and severe burns simillar to poison ivy

But is the poison the result of an arms race between the Manchineel not wanting to be eaten by the lizards/tortoises wanting to eat it or are the reptiles the natural spreaders of this plant's seeds and is it just trying to deter other animals (like how peppers aren't hot to birds)?

This tree is so hardcore, it might as well be its own rock band

I hear that the fruit is sweet before it burns you. Did native peoples where this tree is common ever find a way to process it to neutralize the toxin and make it edible? I know this is at least the case with some other plants that cannot be eaten as is. Interesting!

Does the Manchineel upset the PH balance of the soil around it I wonder with all the rain and when the fruit drops around it? Is it really acidic or basic?

Gracias por esta variedad de programas que nos enseñan muchas otras cosas de nuestra bella naturaleza

In Costa Rica we have it...pay attention on the coast both pacific and caribe carefull. We call it " Manzanillo" scarlet macaw can eat the fruit 🤯 as well as the de fruit of "Sand box tree" Hura crepitans

I’d love to hear you talk about flowers like roses, heliotropes, hyacinths etc!

What’s the point of having such a deadly fruit. Is it trying to get use your corpse as the initial fertilizer for the the seed?

How the Bad Place does ANYONE know this fruit tastes sweet?!

so i am a carpenter and now i wanna build a table out of its wood just because of the trees backstory

Since we are talking about lovely plants like these, why not an episode on the gympie-gympie?

I wonder if this is related to a tree in the South Pacific called salato. I climbed a salato tree (didn’t realize what it was) in Tonga, and I had an intense itching/burning sensation on my hands and neck (some leaves grazed me) for several days!

Speaking of apples, can ya do one on the crab apple? 🍏🦀🍎

Anybody else just happy trees like this exist? So metal. Sooooooo cool. I already knew about it but I love hearing about all the things you can't do with it or lmao around it. Poison is the ultimate teacher

Mosses don’t get enough love. Especially Weeping Moss.

do an episode on morning glory!

That’s cute, they’ve never heard of the Gympie-Gympie plant :)

This tree right here is in my home state, and despite living here all 37 years of my life it was not until about 10 years ago that I learned about this tree. Many people that move here or live here do not know about this tree and how deadly it is. I actually freaked out one of my Australian friends with this tree, his response was "No you can keep that one, we already have enough things over here that want to kill you".

You also shouldn't shade under this tree when it's hot out. The sun warms up the leaves and they will drip their sap down onto you. The trees are really beautiful tho and help to stop erosion of our shorelines so...read the signs and stay safe whenever you see one.

It's strange that a tree would evolve to make a fruit which looks succulent but kills anything which touches it. A weird evolution indeed.

In the tropic realms where shadows play, A sinister secret in the light of day. Manchineel stands with devious grace, The deadliest tree, a perilous embrace. Beneath the boughs, where illusions sway, Lies a danger, where life can decay. Its leaves may seem a sheltering green, Yet within hides a toxic sheen. Oh, Manchineel, a perilous sprite, In every part, venom takes flight. From trunk to fruit, a lethal charm, A deceptive Eden, nature's harm. Caution, traveler, as you pass by, For touching the bark, where poisons lie. A sap that burns like fiery rain, Nature's gambit, a treacherous terrain. The fruit, a tempting, deceptive lure, A taste of death, where dangers pure. Beware the sweet, the seemingly benign, For Manchineel's grasp is a toxic line. In whispers of wind through its toxic leaves, A tale of caution, a story that grieves. The deadliest tree, in shadows unfurls, A dance with danger, in nature's swirl. So heed the warning, in tropical air, Manchineel's secret, a perilous affair. A reminder in verses, a cautioning plea, For the deadliest tree on Earth, let it be.

"Avoid the tree when it's wet " 😂

"pink can be metal too" I mean sure but the whole point is that they are calming to look at if anything they are classical music.

Please talk about phantom orchids next, please!

Fun fact: cocoa is a poisonous plant, a very poisonous plant. Only a few types of animals can eat it.. humans are one of them. I wonder if other species that have adapted to eating poisonous plants crave them in the same way humans crave chocolate

Love your videos, and it's great to get some cool plants in among the animals. Although if you want your channel to be viewed as fact-focused, de Leon should be described as an explorer or conquistador, rather than the pejorative "colonizer".

This didn’t really answer the question of how if this is so poisonous, because it clearly doesn’t want anybody touching it, how does it breed? Who pollinates it and spreads its seeds? There aren’t black iguanas or Galapagos tortoises in North America.

I received an ad before this video for cleaning products made of natural plant ingredients 😂

Watching this while sat under a manchineel tree in Barbados 🇧🇧

we need a tree alignment chart

I tried one being dumb on a beach in Central America. Picked one up off the beach that had fallen. Thankfully I was smart enough to just taste the fruit and not actually eat it. Few minutes later there was a pepper feeling in my mouth and throat. Did some research and freaked out a little. Read online that gargling sea water helps so I did that a bit. Never really got super bad but I felt the pepper sensation for hours after.

Only the fastest iguanas and some of the slowest tortoises can eat this tree's apples? Hm. Maybe you have to either be faster than Death (specifically, Iguana Death) or so slow that Death won't notice you.

So... Who is their pollinator? If its so toxic, then what kind of insect or bird act as their pollinator?

This is such a cool and friendly tree and great for shade. :)

"It can grow up to 12 meters, which for those of you who don't use the metric system * cough * _Yanks_ * cough *..."

No fatal reports from the "little apple of death?" More like little apple of temporary discomfort.

Why is this tree so extra?

Grass type design. Poison type stats.

"12 meters, or for those who don't know the metric system, about 4 stories." You managed to describe it in such an American way without even using the imperial system. I know exactly how tall it is now. I know this is kind of a dig at my own people, but it's amazing how we can perfectly visualize and understand someone saying they're 200 acorns tall, but 200 cm is hard to picture. Anything can be used for measurement except the metric system.

A friend of mine just had a couple of bites some days ago. when i found out I told her to throw up instantly, because I thought she might die. Besides a burning mouth and throat she was fine afterwards.. I was so scared first, but why is it called DEATH Apple when you not die from it?

Found out about this tree from FGO wow

Wait... if Manchineel trees are native to Florida but neither iguanas (of any species) or Galapagos Tortoises can be found there then what originally spread the seeds there during the precolonial era? Gopher tortoises do live there but I don't recall if they're absent from the Keys or not?

Yea we have those on our island😊. Tourists keeps getting poisoned

I'm honestly amazed we haven't cut it down completely because of it

Manchineel Man - The Deadest Man Alive! Now THAT’S a superpower…

They should have gone more into depth about the poisonous nature of this tree

Suggestion: Can you do potatoes? I think it would be tuberosum!🥔

Awesome as always thanks

I love those videos!

Finally. Now we just need a true facts and tier list vids and the coverage will be complete

So do other animals know to stay away from it?

For the first time i am happy that a species is endangered

People used to be tied under these trees as a form of the death penalty. The sap would slowly drip on them from leaves and any cuts on the bark. Eventually the individual would die from shock or sepsis.

I guess the tortoise missed the superpower memo

Why? Why would a tree bear poisonous fruit? How do they disperse their seeds?

These trees also have faced parasites(mainly insects such as aphids)that feed on them. The insects that feed on these trees will absorb the poison and use it to defend themselves against predators and parasitoids. But this is happily endangered(I don’t know why it’s classified as endangered, I just don’t care if it’s endangered or extinct).

Who knows, plot twist could be it's what makes the galapagos tortoise live so long

Can you please talk about some kind of ant? Any one you haven’t done yet but they are just so interesting

Awesome is nature

Wouldn’t want to mess with that tree lol 😂

Muchss gracias por el interesante tema, me gustó

The honey badger of the flora world

Manzanilla is also de name we use for chamomile!

I was reading about mangroves for my exam I think I got one example from America . Btw in bharat we have sudri mangroves trees aka sundrar - vaan Meaning beautiful jungles or forests.

“And for those who don’t use the metric system that’s 4 stories” 😤😤😤 woman! How tall is the tree!!!- proud american 🇺🇸

this tree is designed to outevolve us i liked the neither should you at the end 😂 and the singing

But what is the point of a poisonous fruit? Is like you wanna be eaten or not

And I planted one in my backyard over 20 years ago. I think it is beautiful!

Imagine if Poison Ivy got access to this tree