There is a tree on Costa Rican beaches that looks like the ideal place to sit in the shade, drops sweet-smelling little apples on the sand, and can put you in hospital. This is the one entry in this guide to actually memorise.
Where you’ll see it
The top of the beach, right where sand meets scrub, on Pacific beaches including some near Coco and around Tamarindo and Grande. It is often marked with a red painted band or a warning sign, but not always.
What to know
Every part of the manchineel is poisonous. The white sap raises blisters on contact and is agony in the eyes. Standing under one in rain is enough to get burned by the drip. The fruit is sweet, smells of apple, and eating one causes severe burning, swelling and worse. Burning the wood makes toxic smoke.
Learn the glossy oval leaves, the small round fruit and the grey bark, and give it a wide berth. If you or a dog have touched it, wash with copious water. Eyes or any ingestion mean a doctor now. Tell visiting friends about it before they go looking for shade.
