Südamerika, Pazifik, Pazifischer Ozean, Ecuador, Galapagosinseln, Galápagos-Inseln, Provinz Galápagos, Insel Santa Cruz, Manchinelbaum (Hippomane mancinella), en: manchineel tree, Hippomane mancinella, es: Manzanillo, La manzanilla de la muerte o árbol de la muerte

What's the world's most poisonous tree?

The world's most poisonous tree must rely on tides and currents to disperse its fruits.

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Sarah McPherson

This dubious honour of the world's most poisonous tree must go to the manchineel tree Hippomane mancinella, found in brackish habitats in northern South America, the Caribbean and Florida.

It bears an apple-like fruit, which, along with its sap, contains an eye-poppingly strong poison that can cause severe blisters if it makes contact with human skin.

Such toxicity in its fruits means that the tree can’t rely on mammals’ digestive systems to disperse its seeds, depending instead on the tides and currents of its coastal home.

A warning sign on a manchineel tree. © Brett Charlton/Getty

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Main image: Machineel tree in the Galápagos Islands. © Getty

Sarah McPherson

Features editor, BBC Wildlife Magazine

Sarah is features editor for BBC Wildlife Magazine. She has been on the title for more than a decade, and in previous lives has also been the magazine’s section editor, acting deputy editor and production editor. Sarah commissions scientists, writers and photographers from across the globe, and has worked with some of the world’s most renowned wildlife experts. She also regularly writes features - on topics ranging from birding in Colombia to the plight of wildlife rangers - and other content for both the magazine and the website.
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