Times of the Islands Summer 2017

green pages
newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
head office: church folly, grand turk, tel 649 946 2801 • fax 649 946 1895
• astwood street, south caicos, tel 649 946 3306 • fax 946 3710
• national environmental centre, lower bight road, providenciales
parks division, tel 649 941 5122 • fax 649 946 4793
fisheries division, tel 649 946 4017 • fax 649 946 4793
email environment@gov.tc or dema.tci@gmail.com • web www.environment.tc
The shiny leaves, branches and apple-like fruit of this manchineel tree on Bristol Hill, Providenciales, camouflage its many toxic qualities.
Tree of Death
The dangerous machineel tree is thriving in Turks & Caicos.
By Eric F. Salamanca, Bryan Manco and John Claydon,
Department of Environment & Coastal Resources, and Kathleen Wood, SWA Environment
Photos By Eric F. Salamanca
The manchineel tree, scientifically known as Hippomane mancinella of the family Euphorbiaceae, is considered
by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most dangerous tree. This species is native
to the Western Hemisphere, and it is known to grow in Florida, the Caribbean and the Bahamas. This tree
species is naturally thriving in the Turks & Caicos Islands and is found on the premises of hotels and
resorts, villas, residential houses and in the forests/bushes. Typically it grows in coastal and low-lying
areas. When the Spanish first found the tree during their conquest of the Americas, they named it arbol
de la muerte, which means “tree of death.”
Times of the Islands Summer 2017 25