In the works of A. S. Pushkin often mentions the "tree of death" - anchar. Many of us considered it a product of the poet's fantasy, but it turns out that it actually exists. It was the anchar that inspired the poet to create a poem of the same name, although there are other trees that are dangerous to living beings, one of them is considered the most poisonous in the world.
The most dangerous
Mancinella is very similar to an apple tree. Therefore, its name Manchineel (manchinel) is consonant with the Spanish word for "apple". The full name in this language sounds like Manzanilla de la muerte - "the apple of death." Isn't it mentioned by A. S. Pushkin in his "The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Bogatyrs"? Apparently, he knew about the anchara, and could "use" the manchineel fruit in his other work.
Manchinella is a tall plant with elongated green leaves and yellowish veins. Its fruits are the same color, but with a reddish tint. It belongs to the Molochaev family. This plant is self-pollinating. During the rainy season, both male and femaleflowers. Best of all, the manchineel (poisonous tree) blooms in March. Although it can do it all year round. From the flowers, ovaries are formed, from which round fruits grow with brown seeds inside. In diameter, they reach 4 centimeters. But the appearance and aroma of these "apples" is very attractive. But everyone who tried them was expected to die. This often happened to people who first found themselves in those places and did not know that the tree was poisonous. Often his victims were pirates, sailors, conquistadors. Animals do not approach this plant, although there are species of crabs that eat its fruit and do well afterwards.
There are others
Anchar poisonous belongs to the Mulberry family, but tropical ficus is also close to it. It reaches a height of 40 meters. The tree is evergreen, has oblong leaves and rounded greenish fruits. It grows on the islands of the Malay Archipelago. Most of all on about. Java. It turns out that it is not as poisonous as A. S. Pushkin describes. Only its milky juice is dangerous. It is quite safe to touch it. In India, even its relative grows, which is completely harmless. Although the natives used its juice to lubricate arrows.
In addition to these exotic trees, no less dangerous plants grow in our country. One of them is oleander. The poison of this shrub is used in medicine for the treatment of heart disease. If left untouched, it does no harm. Sometimes it is kept as a houseplant. Broom is dangerous when eating its fruits. It grows in Western Siberia. The white acacia has poisonous bark and fruits. Butflowers can be eaten. They even prepare liquors and use them in medicine. Yew and boxwood are dangerous. No need to pluck branches from them, try berries, then everything will be fine. They are even bred for decorative purposes. But manchineel is dangerous in any case. It's better not to approach this tree at all.
Why is it so dangerous
If, while traveling in Florida or visiting the Bahamas and the Caribbean, Mexico, the Antilles, Colombia or the Galapagos Islands, you see a manchineella tied with a red ribbon, next to which there is a warning sign, then you can be sure - a tree poisonous. It is terrible to imagine what happens to those who do not pay attention to this warning. After all, all parts of Hippomane mancinella are poisonous, thanks to the milky juice they contain. You can not only eat the fruits, but also touch the branches, trunk, leaves. The thick juice not only perforates the stomach, which means death, but also causes burns with blistering when it comes into contact with the skin. If they are accidentally splashed into their eyes, it will burn them out and vision will be completely lost. The proof that the tree is poisonous is that its sap burns through even thin fabric.
Better not touch
But not only juice can harm a person. Even burning at the stake, this plant emits irritating lungs, eye-corrosive, headache-inducing smoke. Yes, and dew or raindrops flowing down it are saturated with poison and bring death. Researchers knowcases where a person found his death by simply sleeping under this tree, from which drops of dew flowed. Therefore, it is better not to rush to touch unfamiliar plants, and even more so to eat them. People who accidentally tried the manchineel and survived because the portion of the fruit turned out to be very small talk about their not very pleasant sensations. They note that the fruits are really sweet. It is difficult to understand why nature tried to make tasty what is inedible. Having swallowed a piece of the fruit, a person immediately understands that the tree is poisonous. It is not for nothing that his larynx begins to burn, tears flow and the swallowing reflex disappears. Later, the pain is very severe and lasts for several hours.
How this tree is used
In the Lesser Antilles, natives used manchineel juice to soak their arrowheads. Such weapons led to a long and painful death of a person. It is known that a person sentenced to death in the Caribbean was tied to the trunk of a manchineel, and after a while he died in suffering. The wood of this plant is valuable. On the cut, it has a beautiful pattern with dark veins. To use it in work, it is necessary to achieve complete dehydration of wood. Of course, man struggles with these trees. Nowadays, everything is done so that this plant cannot harm living beings. Around the settlements, it is destroyed in a proven way, which allows avoiding contact with it. To begin with, with the help of fires built around the tree, they dry it out. Then carefully felled and sawn. Wood is burned, and its useful parts are used forindustrial needs. For food, honey is extracted from the flowers of the manchineel. It is considered a delicacy and is not poisonous. Of course, if they wanted to, the manchineel would be completely destroyed. After all, we constantly hear about the threat that constant deforestation poses to the planet. And here they have been fighting this “weed” for so many years, and everything remains the same. But is it really that diligent to destroy it? It turns out that it doesn't. It is even specially planted near the beaches to strengthen the sandy soil. Its tenacious roots greatly contribute to this.
Manchinela is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most poisonous plant in the world. And in Florida it is already on the list of endangered species. Who will be upset that there will be one less danger on Earth? Probably only scientists for whom the manchine is of scientific interest. With other types of poisonous trees, a person may well live in the neighborhood. Even poisonous anchar is not so terrible for a person. The main thing is to follow the general safety rules. Then it will be possible to preserve both the he alth of people and such rare plants as, for example, boxwood, whose age can reach 500 years.
