manchineel

manchineel
/man'cheuh neel"/, n.
a tropical American tree or shrub, Hippomane mancinella, of the spurge family, having a milky, highly caustic, poisonous sap.
[1620-30; earlier mancinell, mançanilla < F mancenille and its source, Sp manzanilla, dim. of manzana apple, OSp mazana < L (mala) Matiana (apples) of Matius Roman author of a cooking manual (1st century B.C.)]

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plant
also called  Poison Guava 
 (Hippomane mancinella), tree of the genus Hippomane, of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), that is famous for its poisonous fruits. The manchineel is native mostly to sandy beaches of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Its attractive, single or paired yellow-to-reddish, sweet-scented, applelike fruits have poisoned Spanish conquistadores, shipwrecked sailors, and present-day tourists. The manchineel is a handsome, round-crowned tree that grows up to 12 m (40 feet) in height with a 60-centimetre- (2-foot-) thick trunk. It has long-stalked, lustrous, leathery, elliptic yellow-green leaves. The manchineel is so poisonous that smoke from its burning wood irritates the eyes, and latex from its leaves and bark causes skin inflammation. Carib Indians used the sap to poison their arrows. The fruit contains a hard stone that encloses six to nine seeds. The tree's wood takes a good polish and is used for making furniture.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • Manchineel — Man chi*neel , n. [Sp. manzanillo, fr. manzana an apple, fr. L. malum Matianum a kind of apple. So called from its apple like fruit.] (Bot.) A euphorbiaceous tree ({Hippomane Mancinella}) of tropical America, having a poisonous and blistering… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • manchineel — [man΄chə nēl′] n. [Fr mancenille < Sp manzanilla, dim. of manzana, apple < L matianum (pomum), (apple), of Matius, Roman author of a cookery manual] 1. a tropical American tree (Hippomane mancinella) of the spurge family, with a milky,… …   English World dictionary

  • manchineel — nuodingasis arkliasiūtis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Karpažolinių šeimos vaistinis nuodingas augalas (Hippomane mancinella), paplitęs Šiaurės ir Pietų Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Hippomane mancinella angl. manchineel pranc. arbre de… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Manchineel tree — Taxobox name = Hippomane mancinella image width = 200px image caption = Illustration from Phytographie Medicale by Joseph Roque, 1821 regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Magnoliopsida subclassis = Rosidae unranked ordo = Eurosids I …   Wikipedia

  • manchineel — noun Etymology: French mancenille, from Spanish manzanilla, from diminutive of manzana apple Date: 1630 a poisonous tropical American tree (Hippomane mancinella) of the spurge family having a blistering milky juice and apple shaped fruit …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • manchineel — noun A tropical American tree, Hippomane mancinella, having apple like, poisonous fruit, and a sap that causes blisters on contact with the skin …   Wiktionary

  • manchineel — man·chi·neel (man″kĭ nēlґ) Hippomane mancinella, a tree of tropical America that has a caustic poisonous sap …   Medical dictionary

  • Manchineel — Hippomane (E,P) …   EthnoBotanical Dictionary

  • manchineel — n. tropical American tree with poisonous apple shaped fruit …   English contemporary dictionary

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