Tree Of Death
A manchineel tree painted red as a warning sign. (Severine BAUR/Getty Images) This 'Tree of Death' Is So Toxic, You Can't Even Stand Under It When It Rains SIGNE DEAN 10 NOVEMBER 2021 In 1999, radiologist Nicola Strickland went on a holiday to the Caribbean island of Tobago, a tropical paradise complete with idyllic, deserted beaches. On her first morning there, she went foraging for shells and corals in the white sand, but the holiday quickly took a turn for the worse. Scattered amongst the coconuts and mangoes on the beach, Strickland and her friend found some sweet-smelling green fruit that looked much like small crabapples. Both foolishly decided to take a bite. Within moments the pleasantly sweet flavor was overwhelmed by a peppery, burning feeling and an excruciating tightness in the throat that gradually got so bad, the women could barely swallow. The fruit in question belonged to the manchineel tree ( Hippomane mancinella ), sometimes referred to as 'beach