Sometimes when I come across something when doing research I am shocked. I have been to Florida several times for work. At no time did they warn me that there was a deadly tree I should stay away from. It looks innocent enough and that could be food hanging from those branches.
A drop of sap from the tree can cause burns. Burning the bark produces a gas that causes blindness. Sometimes the blindness is temporary and sometimes it permanent. This doesn’t seem to be a chance I am interested in taking.
It makes me wonder, if you buy property with this kind of tree on it, how do you get rid of it?
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Question of
Have you heard of this before?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Have you seen a manchineel tree?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Do you think a landowner would be responsible if someone was harmed?
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Yes
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No
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This tree is known in Venezuela, country where I live, like Manzanillo and grows wild especially on the beaches, and like Cmoneyspinner says, children learn to be away from him and not play with his fruit to avoid being affected .
I used to live in Florida and remember as a child being warned about the sap from a particular tree. I can’t remember what we called it but learned at an early age to keep away from it.