The deadly Manchineel tree. PROVIDED

The Halloween season tends to lead me to the dark side. This year is no different. Let me begin my story with a caution: Beware the “manzanilla de la muerte,” little apple of death hanging sweetly from the deadly Manchineel tree, Hippomane mancinella. This “beach apple” masquerading as a common, wild, small, green apple lurks on the Manchineel tree which hides among the mangroves of the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and Southern Florida including the Everglades and Keys. As it ripens, the apple turns a tempting green-yellow color.

The tree impersonates a tall shrub and grows in clusters reaching 50 feet tall. The clusters can present as a single or multi-trunked tree with reddish, gray-brown rutted bark. In botany, the leaves are described as “simple” as they are contiguous single blades attached to a petiole. The Manchineel leaf is long and narrow with serrated edges and alternates along the stem. The yellow-green flowers emerge from leafless spikes. Readers are strongly encouraged to examine the attached photographs and commit them to memory as all parts of this tree are labeled as lethal!

I discovered the grim story of this tree as I was kayaking along a mangrove tunnel off the coast of Captiva Island. Our guide told the historical lore of Ponce de León and the European explorers who attempted to colonize Florida. In a battle with the Calusa people, Ponce de León was struck by an arrow dipped in the sap of the Manchineel tree and subsequently died. Other explorers attempted to cut down the tree only to be covered in blisters on their skin and mouth. Those who touched their eyes with sap on their hands experienced temporary blindness lasting for two weeks.

Standing under the tree in a rainstorm is also a threat. Each raindrop dripping from the tree will burn your skin, giving new meaning to the term “acid rain.” Not only is the sap dangerous, the scent of the tree is toxic, causing asphyxiation, another reason to avoid close proximity to the Manchineel tree. In addition, destroying the tree by burning is ill advised as the smoke will cause severe respiratory distress.

Why then has this tree not been eliminated?

In nature, every organism has its place in the circle of life. The Manchineel tree is a food source for a striped iguana, known as the Garrobo, native to Central and South America. Historically, and with extreme caution, dried lumber from the tree was harvested by Indigenous people to make furniture. Dried Manchineel apples and the gum from the bark are said to have medicinal properties. Today, the tree has been listed as an endangered species in Florida.

The Manchineel tree will continue to survive, but requires us to be extremely cautious when exploring the mangrove coastline and the Everglades. It is imperative to be mindful of any tree marked by a red ring near its base. This marking is a warning of the toxicity of the tree. Leave your curiosity behind and escape the clutches of the tree deemed to be the deadliest tree in the world.

Happy Halloween!

Deborah Haggett is a Lee County Master Gardener Volunteer and a member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral. Visit us at gardenclubofcapecoral.com.