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> Now that I know this tree exists, I have little doubt I'd die after a hike in the Caribbean. It's really not that big a deal. On most islands they are clearl

> Now that I know this tree exists, I have little doubt I'd die after a hike in the Caribbean. It's really not that big a deal. On most islands they are clearly marked with a red band. Don't touch them, don't eat strange fruit off the ground, and don't stand under them in the rain and you'll be fine. Even if not marked, just don't go groping trees. Don't worry about breathing the air, that part is sensationalist bullshit. What's more dangerous, as tour guides will be happy to tell you, are coconut palms: Falling coconuts are responsible for more deaths per year than shark attacks. (Although that says more about the rarity of shark attacks, I guess...) Oh well, atlasobscura seems to need the clicks.

popmatrix 10y ago
Correct. The Galapagos have many of these trees and all are marked on paths. The article did not mention it, but the poison severity of the tree varies quite a bit with season. Once the fruit has all fallen, the milky irritant on the tree has dried or washed off. You should still avoid staying under them in the rain as mentioned above.
inimino 10y ago
> atlasobscura seems to need the clicks. And then there is this: "After all, it is rumored to have killed the famed explorer, Juan Ponce de Leon." By which they actually mean, a few paragraphs later, that the arrows that killed him "may have been" tipped with it. (If it had just been the arrows and not the irritating sap, surely he'd still be with us today.) I've seen a few atlasobscura links on HN, usually I already know what the topic will be from the headline. Something feels a bit off about the site, almost like they exist for no purpose but to generate traffic.