This video is sponsored by Grammarly, the
digital writing assistant that helps 30 million people worldwide write more clearly and effectively! As you can probably guess, I write a lot. Whether it’s new projects, countless emails,
messages on social media platforms, writing in one form or another makes up the majority
of my day. That’s why I needed to find a way to save
time and be more efficient when writing, and why I’m so excited that I started using
Grammarly! Grammarly is constantly double-checking my
work looking for errors and mistakes, helping me find alternatives for overused words, and
improving my writing overall! And the way Grammarly seamlessly integrates
right into my browser through their handy extension means that it’s always there for
me, no matter where I’m writing. The free version of Grammarly gives basic
grammar and spelling suggestions, but I strongly suggest upgrading to Grammarly Premium. It’s saved me so much time with advanced
features like the clarity suggestions that make sure I’m not repeating myself and removes
unnecessary words. Grammarly Premium's vocabulary suggestions
are also a time-saver by providing alternatives for overused words. I can’t imagine writing without it now. So what are you waiting for? Save time on your work and emails with Grammarly! Go to Grammarly.com/infographics to sign up
for a free account and get 20% off! A Florida vacation sounds like the nicest
thing around - especially if you’re coming from a cold climate. But you shouldn’t let your guard down. There’s gators to watch out for if you’re
near the water, stinging insects flying around, the 90-plus degree heat most days which can
cause heatstroke and dehydration if you’re not careful - and of course, there’s the
internationally feared and dreaded, Florida Man to watch out for. It’s enough to make you want to sit under
an apple tree, relax in the shade, and have a crisp bite to eat… STOP! That’s not an apple tree! It’s a tree bearing nothing but death! Yes, that’s right, in Florida, even the
apple trees can’t be fully trusted. That’s because there’s a tree that looks
almost exactly like an apple tree, but is actually one of the most dangerous trees in
the world. Meet the Manchineel, a tree native to the
southern part of North America. Despite being most commonly found in central
America and northern South America, it’s started showing up in Florida - and that means
vacationers should watch what they take a bite of. So what makes this tree so deadly? For one thing, it’s a trap! Both its leaves and the small fruits that
grow from it bear a significant resemblance to the common apple. But it works in a different way from many
mimics. Mimics are usually animals that resemble a
more dangerous animal, such as the hoverfly which mimics the color pattern of a stinging
wasp so predators will leave it alone. The Manchineel resembles a harmless plant
that bears tasty and nutritious fruit - but anyone who eats it is in for the worst lunch
of their life. What is the Manchineel hiding in its appetizing-looking
fruit? The fruit of the Manchineel, also known as
the Death Apple, is packed with a milky white sap that contains dangerous toxins. Even touching it with bare skin will cause
allergic contact dermatitis, which can manifest in redness, blisters, and severe pain. But it’s not just the fruit - the Manchineel
is packed with this toxic compound in every part of its body, including the leaves and
even the bark. This protects it from pests that could damage
it, but makes it a massive health hazard to anyone in the vicinity. But what would happen if someone actually
ate it? Nothing good. While there are no cases known in the modern
day, eating and swallowing it could be fatal. That’s because the inside of the body - including
the mouth and the digestive tract - has less of a protective layer than the exterior skin. The damage from the sap touching the body
inside would be more severe than for someone who touched it with their hands. But don’t take our word for it - listen
to the unfortunate people at the source. For those who have been unlucky enough to
take a bite, they initially describe the taste as sweet and tasty. That changes quickly, as a peppery sensation
sets in and makes eating the fruit painful. But this is only the beginning of the Manchineel’s
revenge. Radiologist Nicola Strickland made the mistake
of taking a bite of the Manchineel’s fruit in 2000 while visiting the island of Tobago. She described a burning, tearing sensation
that led to an intense tightness of the throat. This only got worse after a few hours, making
it extremely painful and almost impossible to swallow, as she could feel a massive pharyngeal
lump in her throat. She got through it by drinking pina coladas
and milk, and after eight hours the symptoms began to fade - although severe tenderness
in her lymph nodes continued. When she told her story to the locals, they
reacted with shock and horror - the tree had a reputation. Other people who have eaten from the tree
have suffered worse consequences - including serious long-term gastrointestinal issues. So just don’t eat the fruit, and you should
be fine, right? Not quite. The Manchineel has gone so overboard in its
poison content that it can cause serious harm even if it never comes near your mouth or
hands. Even standing beneath the tree can be dangerous
- the sap leaks into the water when it’s raining, and the toxic water can blister the
skin of anyone who gets hit by it. So better find somewhere else to get shelter
from the rain - the liquid is so corrosive, it can damage the paint on cars if they’re
parked under it. This tree sounds like a nightmare. Might be a good idea to burn it and be done
with it! Think again! The tree is so packed full of toxins that
when burned, the latex that’s packed with poison can be a massive public health hazard. The smoke becomes toxic, causing severe irritation
to anyone who is in the immediate vicinity. It can even cause serious eye damage if the
smoke hits the corneas, potentially causing blindness if someone doesn’t get their eyes
treated after exposure. It’s not a surprise that most Floridians
are very cautious of the Manchineel tree. So the state’s probably trying to get rid
of it - right? Despite how dangerous it is, the Manchineel
isn’t classified as an invasive species or a noxious weed. It’s actually listed as an endangered species
in Florida, which means they’re trying to preserve it. And as dangerous as it is, it does have its
uses. Those who have been living around the tree
for centuries know how to handle it carefully to render it harmless and useful. Drying it out removes the sap, and the tree
is used as a wood source by furniture-makers in the Caribbean. The bark can produce a gum that has health
benefits for those suffering from Edema, and even the toxic fruits can work as a diuretic
when safely dried. But one use doesn’t neutralize the tree’s
deadliness - it takes advantage of it. The deadly sap of the Manchineel tree has
been used as a poison for centuries, with locals in the Caribbean using it to poison
their enemies’ water supply. The sap can also be used as a way to make
conventional weapons toxic, such as coating arrowheads with them. One of these weapons may have even claimed
the life of a famous explorer. Juan Ponce De Leon was a Spanish explorer
and colonial leader who made frequent voyages to Florida. But in 1521, he and his men were attacked
by the local Calusa people who drove them out of the territory. Ponce de Leon was hit by an arrow and quickly
became very ill, dying in Cuba. Historians believe the arrow was coated with
Manchineel sap. But wouldn’t the tree being so over-the-top
poisonous make it hard to survive? Fruit-bearing trees generally want their fruit
to be eaten - that’s how the seeds get spread. In fact, some have made their fruit appealing
to birds who swallow the fruit whole but deadly to humans who chew it, thus ensuring the maximum
spread. But the Manchineel is deadly to almost every
animal who eats it, so how does it get spread? While iguanas seem immune to the toxins and
sometimes eat and spread the seeds, the tree does most of its spreading via the seas. The coastal trees eventually drop their fruit
into the sea, they’re brought by the tides to the coast, and they rot and grow anew - a
tree designed to reproduce without ever having anything eat it. The Manchineel is a nasty tree that a lot
of people fear - but is it truly the deadliest tree in the world? There are some serious contenders around the
world - including one that may be even more painful than the Manchineel. Meet the Gympie Stinger. Native to Australia, this plant - scientifically
named Dendrocnide moroides - looks like a harmless green plant with large green leaves. But every single one of those leaves is coated
with countless tiny stinging hairs that, when touched, break off and deliver a powerful
neurotoxin that it injects into the skin. But unlike many toxic plants, the symptoms
aren’t going to disappear after a few hours or days. Victims of the Gympie Stinger report that
the pain can persist for months, with some people having to be hospitalized and strapped
down due to the intense agony. A legend about a soldier who committed suicide
after accidentally using the plant as toilet paper may be just that - a legend - but there’s
a reason this plant has been of interest to people studying chemical weapons. In the wrong hands, it could be a nightmare. But this next deadly tree isn’t a nightmare. To most people, it’s a tasty treat. If you love Pina Coladas, Thai curries, or
Almond Joys, you probably love coconuts. These tall trees are common around tropical
regions and are known for their round, hard-to-crack fruit that contain sweet, tender meat and
rich milk. These are a primary source of food for the
native population in the region, being packed with fat and nutrients. There’s just one problem - these trees are
high up, and occasionally they’ll drop their rock-like fruits which can weigh over three
pounds. If it falls from a high tree and hits someone
square on the head - that could be a nasty concussion or worse. While most bonks on the head from a coconut
won’t be fatal, there are over seventeen deaths from coconut falls recorded since the
1770s. But in Australia, everything is bigger - including
the deadly fruits falling from trees. Meet the Bunya Pine. We’ve all been bonked on the head by a pinecone,
right? Annoying, but rarely anything dangerous. But in Australia, the massive Bunya pine has
been around since prehistoric days - and with it comes a constant omnipresent threat of
death. That’s because the Bunya pine can grow to
almost a hundred and fifty feet in height. A fall from that height can make anything
dangerous, but the Bunya pine’s pinecones can grow to a whopping twenty-two pounds. When they hit the ground, they crack open
and expose the edible nuts within. But if this massive football-shaped cone was
to hit a person, it would likely be instant death. But not all deadly trees have obvious threats. That’s why this next one got the name...the
Suicide Tree. Cerbera odollam is a common tree in India
and southern Asia, mostly growing in swamps and marshes. But while its leaves and flowers make this
small tree a pretty sight in the environment, its seed kernels contain a deadly toxin. Cerberin can block the calcium ion channels
in the heart, causing an irregular heartbeat that can lead to fatal heart failure. While it can cause vomiting as a warning sign,
this poison is notorious for how hard it is to detect post-death. This has made it a popular choice of poison
in murders, with over five hundred cases of Cerbera-related poisoning in only a ten-year
period in the Indian state of Kerala. And all it takes to kill is a single kernel. The culprits in those deaths are generally
human - but these next trees deal out death all by themselves. Meet the Sandbox Tree. The Sandbox Tree, or Hura Crepitans, doesn’t
have the powerful poison or deadly weapons of most of its competitors. Native to parts of North and South America
and Tanzania, it looks like a standard large tree - except for its extreme method of reproduction. Its fruits are large pumpkin-shaped balls
that don’t wait to be eaten - when they’re ripe, they explode and launch their seeds. These powerful explosions can be thrown more
than one hundred feet, and any person who was caught right near an explosion could be
seriously injured. There’s a reason this tree has earned the
nickname “The Dynamite Tree”. And if the exploding fruit bombs weren't enough,
this tree is dangerous to handle because of its many sharp spines on its bark. But this next tree may be laying a deadly
trap. What is the secret of the Namibian Bottle
Tree? Located in the desert, Pachypodium lealii
or the Namibian Bottle Tree is one of the oddest trees in the world and lives in a harsh
climate. It needs water to survive and there is very
little around, so it devotes much of its body to storing water long-term. But there are plenty of animals - and even
some wandering humans - that would love to get their hands on that water. That’s why this tree produces a powerful,
toxic latex filled with deadly alkaloids that makes its water impossible to drink for any
other creatures. Humans have learned not to test their luck
- but that doesn’t always save the tree. Not only can the poison be used to make arrows
deadly, but locals are known to use the tree’s wood to make bowls that they use to poison
and trap birds. But do any of these trees compete with the
Manchineel? While some of these trees may have more potent
poisons - and let’s be real, there’s probably nothing in nature more dangerous than a pine
cone the size of a boulder hitting you on the head - what sets the Manchineel apart
is just how thoroughly toxic it is. The “Death Apple” has the same burning
poison in every part of its body. Most of these plants can be safe for use in
many ways, or even essential to the local ecosystem. But with the Manchineel, you shouldn’t eat
it, or sit under it, or even breathe around it in many circumstances. The Manchineel is so toxic that most animals
won’t even come near it - a sure sign that it’s the deadliest tree in the world. For more on deadly plants, check out “If
You See This Plant, Walk Away Fast!”, or watch this video instead.
