Did you know that 400 million years ago, before
trees took over, Earth was covered in 24-foot mushrooms. Spooky, right?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for mushrooms—they’re
great in stir-fries, omelets and salads, for one thing—but I love trees. I’m lucky to live in a
well-treed area of the province, and just last week, my dad planted an apple
tree in our backyard. I’m already drooling for a slice of grandma’s
rhubarb-apple pie.
But today is Environment Day and I was going to make
a list of some of my favourite trees…and then when doing my research, I
discovered some creep-tastic tree facts that were just too spook-tacular not to
share. Ready for this? You might want
to sit down…
In Australia, the leaves of the Stinging Tree are
covered with tiny hairs that are as sharp as porcupine needles and inject you
with poison—a poison so toxic it can produce a burn that lasts as long as two
years. Yikes!
If you think that’s bad, do some research on the
Amazon’s Sandbox Tree. Its trunk is covered in sharp spines, and the tree’s
leaves, bark and sap are all poisonous. But that’s not even the worst of it.
When the sandbox tree’s fruits ripen, they burst open with a loud bang and can
shoot seeds as far as 100 feet with enough force to send you to the doctor!
And speaking of dangerous fruit, the manchineel
tree—native to Florida, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean—is entirely
poisonous. In fact, the tiny apple-shaped fruits it produces are so dangerous
they’ve been dubbed “little apples of death.” You don’t even have to touch the
tree to get hurt! Water rolling off the leaves can burn your skin. Ouch!
You can bet these trees are making it into one of my
scary short stories!
Gotta jet! Have a SUPER weekend—and
don’t forget to celebrate Environment Day!
— Chase Superman Duffy
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