Hippomane mancinella
Illustration from Phytographie Medicale by Joseph Roque, 1821
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Subclass: Rosidae (unranked) Eurosids I Order: Malpighiales Family: Euphorbiaceae Subfamily: Euphorbioideae Tribe: Hippomaneae Subtribe: Hippomaninae Genus: Hippomane L. Species: H. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Magnoliopsida is the Botanical name for a class of Flowering plants By definition the class will include the family Magnoliaceae, but its Under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN Rosidae is a Botanical name at the rank of subclass. In the APG II system for the classification of the Angiosperms the name rosids refers to a Clade, meaning a Monophyletic group of plants The Malpighiales are a large order of Flowering plants included in the group named Eurosids I in the recent APG classification The Spurge family ( Euphorbiaceae) is a large family of Flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7500 species The Euphorbioideae is a Subfamily of the family Euphorbiaceae. Hippomaneae is a tribe of Plant of the family Euphorbiaceae. It comprises 2 Subtribes and 33 genera. Hippomaninae is a plant of the family Euphorbiaceae. It is a Subtribe of the Hippomaneae and has 32 genera: Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for mancinella
Binomial name
Hippomane mancinella L.
Synonyms
Mancanilla Mancinella and see text

The Manchineel tree (Hippomane mancinella) is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), native to the Caribbean and Central America. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for In Scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different Scientific names used for a single Taxon. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group The Spurge family ( Euphorbiaceae) is a large family of Flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7500 species The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting The name "manchineel" (sometimes written "manchioneel") as well as the specific epithet mancinella is from Spanish manzanilla ("little apple"), from the superficial resemblance of its fruit and leaves those of an apple tree. In zoological nomenclature a specific name or specific epithet is the second part (second name in the name of a Species (a Binomen) The apple is the pomaceous Fruit of the apple tree Species Malus domestica in the Rose family Rosaceae. A present-day Spanish name is in fact manzanilla de la muerte, "little apple of death". This refers to the fact that manzanilla is one of the most poisonous trees in the world. In the context of Biology, poisons are substances that can cause damage, Illness, or Death to Organisms usually by

Contents 1 Description 2 Taxonomy 3 Toxicity 4 Endangered in Florida

Description

Manchineel is a tree reaching up to 15 metres high with a greyish bark, shiny green leaves and spikes of small greenish flowers. A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or Its fruits, which are similar in appearance to an apple, are green or greenish-yellow when ripe.

The manchineel tree can be found near to (and on) coastal beaches. It provides excellent natural windbreaks and its roots stabilise the sand, thus helping to prevent beach erosion.

Taxonomy

Though numerous species have been named in the genus Hippomane, they are nowadays usually considered to be junior synonyms of a single polymorphic species. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic In Scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different Scientific names used for a single Taxon. Polymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different Phenotypes exist in the same population of a species — in other words the occurrence of more than one Synonyms include:

• Hippomane aucuparia
• Hippomane biglandulosa
• Hippomane cerifera
• Hippomane dioica
• Hippomane fruticosa
• Hippomane glandulosa
• Hippomane horrida
• Hippomane ilicifolia
• Hippomane mancanilla
• Hippomane spinosa
• Hippomane zeocca

Toxicity

The tree and its parts contain strong toxins. It will secrete a white milky substance during rainfall. Allegedly, standing beneath the tree during rain may cause blistering of the skin from mere contact with this liquid. Burning the tree may cause blindness if the smoke reaches the eyes. The fruit can also be fatal if eaten.

Many trees carry a warning sign, while others are marked with a red "X" on the trunk to indicate danger.

The Caribs used the sap of this tree to poison their blowgun darts (and maybe arrows) and were known to poison the water supply of their enemies with the leaves. Cariban languages Carib, Island Carib or Kalinago people after whom the Caribbean Sea was named live in the Lesser Antilles islands "Blowpipe" and "blow tube" redirect here For other uses of the terms see Glassblowing A blowgun (also called a blowpipe or An arrow is a pointed Projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most Cultures. As a form of torture they would tie victims to this tree and leave them exposed to the elements.

To Europeans, the manchineel quickly became notorious. The heroine of Giacomo Meyerbeer's 1865 opera L'Africaine commits suicide by lying under a manchineel tree and inhaling the plant's vapours. Giacomo Meyerbeer ( September 5, 1791 &ndash May 2, 1864) was a noted German -born Opera Composer, and Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year L'africaine ( The African Woman) is a Grand opera, the last work of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer. To the audience the image of the deadly manchineel must have been familiar to some degree.

There is also an old English slang term manchineel hands, found in the Caribbean region. Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language. Handling dry manchineel may not be harmful as the poison cannot very easily penetrate dry skin. If the hands are brought to contact with mucous membranes however, for example with the lips or the genitals, poisoning can occur. The mucous membranes (or mucosae; singular mucosa) are linings of mostly endodermal origin covered in Epithelium, which are involved in Lips are a visible body part at the mouth of humans and many animals A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, as narrowly defined is any of the anatomical parts of the body which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute Thus "manchineel hands" came to describe hands that are discolored e. g. from dyestuffs or dirt, or otherwise "tainted". A dye can generally be described as a Colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied It now can mean anything ranging from discolored hands to sweating hands or any hand related abnormality.

Endangered in Florida

This tree is listed as an endangered species in Florida. An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming Extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the [1]

---

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic