The Manchineel tree (Hippomane mancinella) is a species[1] of the family of the Euphorbiaceae family. Its distribution area extends from northern South America to the tropical south of North America.
The name “manchineel” (often “manchineal” or “manchioneel“), and the specific epithet mancinella, are derived from the Spanish word Manzanilla (meaning little apple), owing to the exterior semblance of its leaves and fruit to that of an apple tree.
Also known as beach apple, the Manchineel is a flowering, evergreen, round-crowned tree that can grow up to 15 meters high. It has reddish-gray bark and a trunk that can be about two feet across.
It has long-stemmed, glossy, and elliptical leaves that are greenish-yellow in color and around 10 centimeters long. The leaves are simple, alternate with serrated margins. The Manchineel trees produce tiny greenish-yellow blossoms that appear in spikes.
