TWIL #040 - The Sandbox Tree Explodes Its Seeds at 70 m/s
The sandbox tree has poisonous sap, skin-piercing spines, and seed pods that detonate with a sound like a gunshot - launching seeds at 70 metres per second across 100 metres.
- #plants
- #nature
- #biology
The sandbox tree (Hura crepitans) is native to the tropical forests of North and South America. It has earned a reputation as one of the most hostile plants on Earth through an accumulation of independently dangerous features.
The spines: The trunk is covered in sharp, woody, cone-shaped spines capable of piercing skin and damaging eyes. There is no safe way to lean against this tree.
The sap: The milky-white latex that oozes from the bark when cut is extremely caustic - it causes severe skin blistering and can cause temporary blindness if it contacts the eyes. Indigenous communities historically used it as a fish poison and on arrow tips. Even smoke from burning sandbox tree wood can cause irritation.
The seed pods: The mature seed pods are pumpkin-shaped capsules, roughly 8 cm across, divided into 15–16 sections. As the pod dries, it builds up extreme tension. When it finally ruptures, it does so with an audible explosive bang - loud enough to startle people nearby - and launches its disc-shaped seeds at speeds measured at up to 70 metres per second (around 252 km/h), scattering them up to 100 metres from the tree. This is one of the fastest seed dispersal mechanisms of any plant.
The name "sandbox tree" comes from an old use: the unripe seed pods were dried and used as containers for the sand that once dried ink on handwritten documents.