In the works of A.S. Pushkin often referred to as the "death tree" - Anchar. Many of us considered him a figment of the poet’s imagination, but it turns out that it really exists. It was the anchor that inspired the poet to create a poem of the same name, although there are other trees that are dangerous for living creatures, 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 "apple". The full name in this language sounds like Manzanilla de la muerte - "apple of death." Isn't A.S. Pushkin in his "Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights"? Apparently, he knew about the anchor, and could “apply” the mancinella fruit in another of his works.
Mancinella 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-pollinated. During rains, male and female flowers form on it. Best of all, mancinella (poisonous tree) blooms in March. Although it can do it all year round. Ovaries form from the flowers, 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 tasted them was expecting death. This often happened to people who first appeared in those places and did not know that the tree is poisonous. Often, his victims were pirates, sailors, conquistadors. Animals do not come close to this plant, although there are species of crabs that eat its fruits and feel good after that.
There are others
Poison Anchar belongs to the Tutov family, but tropical ficus is also close to it. In height, it reaches 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. Touching him is completely safe. In India, even its congener grows, which is completely harmless. Although the natives used his juice to lubricate the arrows.
In addition to these exotic trees, no less dangerous plants grow in our country . One of them is an oleander. The poison of this shrub is used in medicine to treat heart diseases. If you do not touch it, it does no harm. Sometimes it is kept as a houseplant. The broom is dangerous when eating its fruits. It grows in Western Siberia. White acacia has poisonous bark and fruits. But the flowers can be eaten. They even make liquors and use them in medicine. Dangerous are yew and boxwood. No need to pluck branches from them, try berries, then everything will be fine. They are even bred for decorative purposes. But mancinella is dangerous anyway. It is better not to approach this tree at all.
Why so dangerous
If, traveling in Florida or visiting the Bahamas and the Caribbean, Mexico, the Antilles, Colombia or the Galapagos Islands, you will see mancinella tied with a red ribbon, next to which there is a warning sign, then you can be sure that the tree is poisonous. It is terrible to imagine what happens to those who do not pay attention to this warning. Indeed, all parts of Hippomane mancinella are poisonous due to the milky juice contained in them. You can not only eat fruits, but also touch the branches, trunk, leaves. Thick juice not only leads to perforation, getting into the stomach, which means death, but also causes burns with the appearance of blisters when it gets on the skin. If they accidentally splash into his eyes, he will burn them and his vision will completely disappear. The proof that the tree is poisonous is that its sap burns even thin tissue.
Better not to touch
But not only juice can harm a person. Even burning at the stake, this plant gives off irritating lungs, corroding eyes, causing headache smoke. Yes, and dew or raindrops flowing down it are saturated with poison and bring death. Researchers know cases when 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, let alone eat them. People who accidentally tried mancinella and survived because the portion of the fruit was 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 fruit, a person immediately realizes that the tree is poisonous. It is no accident that his larynx begins to burn, tears flow and the swallowing reflex disappears. In the future, the pain is very severe and lasts several hours.
How to use this tree
In the Lesser Antilles, Aborigines used mancinella juice to infiltrate arrowheads. Such weapons led to a long and painful death of a person. It is known that a man sentenced to death in the Caribbean was tied to a mancinella trunk, and after a while he died in misery. 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 the wood. Of course, a person is fighting these trees. Nowadays, they are doing everything so that this plant can not harm living beings. Around the settlements, it is destroyed in an exhausted way, avoiding contact with it. To begin with, with the help of bonfires bred around the tree, it is drained. Then carefully cut down and sawed. The wood is burned, and its useful parts are used for industrial needs. The food consumed is honey extracted from the flowers of mancinella. It is considered a delicacy and is not poisonous. Of course, if they wanted, they would have completely destroyed mancinella. After all, we constantly hear about the threat that the planet is constantly deforestation. And here for so many years they have been struggling with this "weed", and everything remains as before. But is it so diligently destroyed? It turns out that no. It is even specially planted near the beaches to strengthen the sandy soil. This is greatly facilitated by its tenacious roots.
Mancinella 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 is upset that there will be less danger on Earth? Probably the only scientists for whom mancinella is of scientific interest. With other types of poisonous trees, a person may well live in the neighborhood. Even the poisonous anchor is not so terrible for a person. The main thing is to follow the general safety rules. Then it will be possible to maintain both people's health and rare plants such as boxwood, for example, whose age can reach 500 years.