> 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...)
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.
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.
Yes soap will get rid of Urushiol and some mechanical action is required, HOWEVER the last thing you want to do is weaken the skin and break it down with too vigorous a scrubbing. That will just facilitate penetration of the oil into the skin, and make you more vulnerable until your skin has repaired.
I get exposure to poison ivy on a regular basis but I know there's a 2h grace period in which I do all the yardwork around that stuff then jump in the shower. A normal shower takes care of it all.
After having a bad run-in with poison ivy as a kid, I can't unsee the plant wherever I go. It's practically neon in my mind. It's amazing how the brain works.
As a kid I was always annoyed that nobody could give me a concrete description of poison ivy. The leaves are shiny! There are three! Beyond that everything got really vague.
Imagine my surprise a few years ago when I googled and discovered that Poison Ivy isn't a plant, it is a whole family of plants with quite a bit if variation in the family.
One thing to watch out for is root runners on the sides of trees. Some varieties climb trees for more light and the only part you see is the fuzzy brown roots--which are just as irritating as the leaves if you touch them.
Now that I know this tree exists, I have little doubt I'd die after a hike in the Caribbean.