A Guide To American Wandlore

Manchineel

Information

The Manchineel tree (Hippomane manchineel) is a spurge family tree (Euphorbiaceae) tree. In Spanish, it's called "La Manzanita de Muerta" or "The Little Apple Of Death". The Manchineel Tree is found in the tropical regions of North and South America. This hateful son-of-a-birch is primarily native to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Mexico, northern South America, Central America, and the Florida Everglades. It is so deadly that it holds the Guinness World Record for the most dangerous tree in the world. Its toxins are extremely powerful. Every part of the tree is poisonous and every part wants to kill you in its own creative but agonizing way. It's like an angry pot boiling over with rage, hatred, and childhood issues. The sap, the tree's main source of poison, is so toxic, that merely standing under the tree while it rains can cause your skin to blister. This is because the sap contains a high level of a skin irritant called phorbol. Exposure for long periods can result in death. Your car isn't even safe from this toxic tree: Park under its low branches and dripping sap can seriously damage the paint. (I AM NOT MAKING THIS SHIT UP!!) 

Its milky sap can squirt from the tree when twigs are snapped off, painfully irritating the skin and eyes. The fruit looks, smells, and even tastes like apples but they are not apples. Take one of these and you'll be like: "This is all right. It tastes like apple pie.", but then you will be hit with intense peppery heat, that will surge throughout your entire body, causing intense pain and severe burning for hours. Your internal organs start to bleed, your throat will start to close up, restricting your breathing, and then death will soon follow. The worst part is that the fruit is the least toxic part of the tree. These harmful effects result from the toxins hippomane A and B, which are present in every part of the tree. The manchineel tree sometimes grows near the beach, giving it another of its common names, "beach apple." Hapless tourists vacationing on the warm coasts of Central America and the Caribbean often encounter its poisonous boughs with unfortunate consequences. So if you're heading to that region's beach resorts, make sure to avoid the manchineel tree, or else your dream vacation could turn into a nightmare. Also if you attempt to burn the bark or wood, the smoke it produces is so toxic, that it can blind anyone nearby. And I'm not stopping there, this angry wooden bugger is so toxic, that even standing near it for a prolonged period can cause serious injuries and, possibly, death via asphyxiation, as your throat closes up, caused by the tree's toxic scent. (Again, I AM NOT MAKING THIS SHIT UP!)

The Carib Indians from coastal South America often used the Manchineel tree as a means of torture by tying their captives to it and would also use the sap to poison their arrowheads before the battle. Juan Ponce de Leon, the famous Spanish conquistador, and explorer was one such victim. The Manchineel is frequently referenced in literature and journals throughout. One such example is in "The Buccaneers Of America" in which the author cut off a branch to use it as a fan to swat away bugs and cool himself off. Instead, his skin quickly blistered all over and his face swelled up so large that he could not see for three days. It's also illegal to cut them down in Florida because they are endangered. They also help prevent beach erosion and protect mangroves. Without them, Florida might go underwater. While they may be dangerous, the manchineel tree is a very important part of the ecosystem.

Wandlore

Manchineel is a decidedly dark wand wood. It is the first unique wand wood to come from Florida. Prone to violence and selfishness, this wand was used by various notable dark wizards. Manchineel has an affinity for poisons and has been known to produce rather vicious and savage curses, some far outpacing the intentions of its master, leading simple curses that would otherwise bruise an opponent, to often dismember and mutilate. It is not recommended to use Manchineel as a wand wood, since it is very toxic. The tree's infamously poisonous sap oozes out from the tip of the wand during spellwork. Few wandmakers have ever attempted to use Manchineel, as crafting the wand is dangerous since the wood is so highly toxic. The first Manchineel wand was made by Samara Gundlach in 1939. With the world in the grip of international warfare, Gundlach was commissioned to craft a more deadly wand, and she almost lost her life in the process of its genesis, suffering from being constantly poisoned by these extremely toxic trees, surviving only by her clever use of restoration and sealing charms. To make it safe to use, Samara created a special resin mixed with ground-up bezoars, a stone found in the goat's stomach that can save you from almost every poison, and slathered it onto the wand's handle. It proved successful. Gundlach remains the only wandmaker specializing in Manchineel wands to continue the craft, however infrequent. She has a shop located in Key West.