SPURGE FAMILY (EUPHORBIACEAE) 



124. Manzanillo, manchineel 



The deadly manzanillo or manchineel is the most 

 poisonous tree of Puerto Rico and the A^irgin Is- 

 lands and ranks amona; the most famous poisonous 

 plants in tropical America. The attractive palat- 

 able fruits cause serious illness or even death when 

 eaten, and the mili^y sap is injurious both exter- 

 nally and internally. Growing along and near 

 sanely seashore or sometimes inland, this tree is 

 characterized by: (1) irritating milky sap in the 

 leaves, twigs, and bark; (2) round, yellow-green 

 or yellowisli fruits, tinged witii red, l-li/i> inches 

 in diameter, resembling small apples or guavas 

 (guayabas) but very toxic, often littering the 

 beaches; and (-3) the long-istalked, shiny, leathei-y, 

 yellow-green, elliptic leaves with minute wavy 

 teeth on edges, the sides bent upward slightly at 

 the yellowish midrib, and with a raised dot 

 (gland) at base of midrib. 



An evergreen tree to 40 feet in height and 2 

 feet in diameter, usually smaller, with widely 

 forking branches and broad spreading crown. 

 The bark is dark browii or gray, scaly or fissured 

 or with warts, as much as 14 inch thick. Inner 

 bark is light brown or whitish with bitter lasting 

 irritating taste and witli poisonous white sap or 

 latex. Tw'igs are green when young, liecoming 

 brownish graj% and smooth. 



The alternate leaves liave round yellow-green 

 petioles liA-2 inclies long. Tlie leaf blades are 

 2-A: inches long and li4-2i/^ inches wide, short- 

 pointed, roimded at l)ase, shiny on upper surface 

 and dull and paler beneath. 



The inconspicuous greenish male and female 

 flowers are borne stalkless along a glandular 

 greenish terminal axis (spike) 2^ inches long 

 (monoecious). Male flowers are in groups of 5- 

 15 each, about Vj,; inch long, composed of calyx 

 with 2 or 3 lobes and 2 or 3 stamens. Female 

 flowers, 1, 2, or none at base of same axis, about 

 Ys inch long and broad, consist of 3-lobed calyx 

 and pistil with 6-8-celled ovary and 6-8 curved 

 short brown styles. 



The stalkless fruits (drupes), single or paired 

 but produced in quantities, appear lateral after 

 forking and continued growth of twigs beyond. 

 The sweet-scented fruit has a sunken spot at end 

 and greenish-white mellow flesh which is palatable 

 and not irritating to the taste though vei-y toxic. 

 A hard stone encloses 6-8 dark brown seeds 14 

 inch long. Flowering from spring to October, the 

 fruits maturing almost a year later. 



The sapwood is light brown or yellowish, and 

 the heartwood dark brown. The wood is fairly 

 hard, mediumweight (specific gravity 0.5), and 

 strong, taking a good polish. Though reported to 

 be durable, it is very susceptible to attack by dry- 

 wood termites. The wood has been emploj'ed for 

 furniture, cabinetwork, interior finish, and con- 



274 



Hippomane mancinella L. 



struction. Though the poisonous sap adds dif- 

 ficulties to logging and handling lumber, the trees 

 can be girdled in advance or the bark can be burned 

 otf or charred before felling. 



The caustic milky sap is particularly irritating 

 to the eyes and mouth, causing prolonged pain. It 

 also produces severe inflammations and blisters on 

 the skin of some persons. However, in some places 

 it has been employed in local medicines. Caribs 

 poisoned their arrows with this toxic liquid. As 

 smoke from burning parts of the tree causes in- 

 flammation of the eyes, the wood should not be 

 used for fuel. It is reported that rain water drip- 

 ])ing from the leaves is injurious. It has been 

 claimed that a person who rested or slept under 

 one of these trees would be injured, blinded, or 

 even killed, but these exaggerated reports are 

 erroneous. Classed as a honey plant, the honey re- 

 ])orted to be nontoxic. 



Early explorers, who discovered this tree along 

 beaches, ate the attractive, aromatic, tempting 

 fruits, wliich resembled wild apples or crab apples, 

 with disastrous and sometimes fatal results. In 

 1733, a royal ordinance prescribed destruction of 

 all manzanillo trees at St. Barthelemy. However, 

 as recently as 1940, during the late war, famished 

 survivors of a sunken ship were poisoned by eating 

 these fruits after landing their lifeboat on an un- 

 inhabited beach there. Taken promptly to a hos- 

 |)ital, they recovered after a few days. About 

 ISs."), these fruits poisoned 54 Gernuin seamen at 

 Cura(jao, causing the death of 5 and serious illness 

 of the others. 



Two persons were hospitalized at St. Thomas in 

 1954 after consuming these dangerous fruits. 

 Prompt treatment includes causing vomiting and 

 use of a stomach pump. 



Livestock have also been affected and should not 

 be confined in areas with these trees. The fruits 

 have poisoned hogs. Cattle have suffered skin 

 irritation from contact with the plants. 



Perhaps the wide distribution along tropical 

 shores, including small islands, resulted from dis- 

 semination of the fruits by ocean currents. Near 

 settlements the eradication of these dangerous 

 trees has been undertaken, for example, in south- 

 ern Florida. 



Fortunately this species is local and not very 

 connnon in Puerto Rico. However, it is distrib- 

 uted also through the Virgin Islands, being com- 

 monest on St. Croix. 



The trees grow in coastal woods and thickets, 

 sometimes singly, along and near sandy seashores 

 and on rocky cliffs in both wet and dry areas 

 around the islands. They are less common inland 

 along streams. In the Virgin Islands they are 

 found occasionally along i-oadsides, fences, and 

 ditchbanks, in pastures and waste grounds, and 

 around houses. Puerto Rico, Deseoheo, Mona, 



