Beach (Beech?) Apples??

[Fenris]

I was watching an old WWII propaganda/training cartoon. It was in the style of Private Snafu, but the character’s name was like McGillicuddy.

Mostly it was about how EATING NATIVE FOOD IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC WILL KILL YOU!!!111!!! Only eat K-Rations!

They made several (dubious) points:

1. Don’t eat the bananas–they’re plantains! < gasp > If you eat them raw, you’ll get a tummy ache!

2. Don’t eat native-farmed veggies because they use poo as fertilizer (washing and/or cooking the veggies isn’t thought about)

3. Don’t eat cooked native meat, because…um…germs?

And I got all that. I don’t agree with a lot of it (why not actually y’know…cook the plantains or wash/cook the veggies).

But the fourth thing they mentioned was “Beach” (or “Beech”) apples. They look like apples, but apparently they’re “poison” and make an “acid” when you eat them (“a hot acid that burns like hell”). The cartoon shows the character mucnching on one and then putting his head in a bucket like he’d eaten hot peppers. So…do they mean “hot”? Actual…y’know acid acid? Something acidic like vinegar? I dunno.

A websearch turns up near nothing about “beach apples” (apple trees on the beach don’t count)

Anyone have any idea what fruit they’re talking about?

Here’s the cartoon itself.

[Mangetout]

This, probably:

Manchineel

[MikeS]

@Mangetout

This, probably:
Manchineel - Wikipedia

I think you’re right. I also dug up this page (note the sign in the picture halfway down the page):

The tree is usually found near a beach, offers wonderful shade, plentiful golden apples that smell like apple, leaves that are simple and glossy with pointed tips, rounded base and smooth or slightly toothed edges. Each tree carries a male and female flower. Don’t eat under it and don’t eat the fruit no matter what Eve says.

And this page:

Recorded on the internet is an account of what happened to two curious gentlemen while staying on a Caribbean island: Strolling along a beautiful, deserted beach in the Caribbean, they found some fruit that looked like small green apples under a large tree overhanging the beach. After one of the gentlemen took a bite of an apple and found it to be quite sweet and tasty, his friend and he both then each ate one and found them very satisfying. After 10 minutes or so, they noticed an unusual burning sensation in their mouths that evolved into swelling and tightness of the throat and difficulty swallowing. Alcohol seemed to make the symptoms worse.

…

This tree contains tigliane phorbol esters. Skin contact can cause blistering, burns, erythema, swelling, and inflammation. If ingested, it will cause burning and swelling of the oral mucosa, esophageal ulcerations, edema, and cervical lymphadenopathy, making it impossible to swallow, difficult to talk, and hard to breathe.

Fascinating stuff — I had no idea that such a tree existed.

ETA: The only problem with this identification is that manchineel doesn’t appear to be native to the South Pacific. But I suppose “don’t eat strange plants” is good advice no matter where in the world you are.

[Mangetout]

Thisbook says it’s found on the Pacific side of central America and tropical south America - so it’s more or less in the right place.

[Fenris]

Thank you guys–that has to be it.

It’s weird that they’d put plantains in the same category as a clearly legitimately poisonous tree.

[Mangetout]

I’m amazed at just how apple-like they are - my gut reaction on encountering a scene like thiswould indeed be to start gathering them up (except that I know better than to trust gut reactions like that, especially when I’m outside of my normal foraging zone.