Kooku's plant facts

Reminder : I'm a nerd, not a plant professional. Take my ramblings with a grain of salt. Main account: @superkooku

[moulin-girault]

Cotoneaster

[kooku-alt]

I used to think the name was in reference to cotton for some reason bur locking into it, it's just a reference to resembling the quince fruit

Also, despite looking beautiful and belonging to the same family as apples, the fruits are absolutely not edible (yet another ✨toxic plant✨ we can regularly find on the streets). Birds seemt to like them, though

And like the apple, the berry is actually a fake fruit surrounding the seed and the actual ovary, which is the real fruit. Plant anatomy can be so much more intricate and complex than we may think

[wildlifegermany]

[kooku-alt]

Love these pictures and magnolias are always a delight.

Fun fact: magnolia flowers are edible 😋. Right now I'm browsing through some foraging videos and it's really neat to see people picking up plants for fun recipes or just sharing cool facts.

Anyway, here's one video

View this post on Instagram

[rxttingcorpse]

[lichenaday]

See that leafy dude on the left side? Lichen, not moss. Xanthoria parietina.

[kooku-alt]

It's kinda funny that moss and lichen were mixed up because yeah, they look very similar, but biologically the former is a plant (bryophytes) and the latter isn't. At least not completely.

I looked into it a bit and the difference is pretty fun to observe.

Moss is one autotroph organism, so it produces its nutrient by itself like most plants (through photosynthesis), technically has leaves and stems and repdoduce through spores.

Lichen is kind of its own thing, as it's not one organism but a symbiosis between fungi as a dominant partner and either algae or cyanobacteria.

[kooku-alt]

Toxic plants I identified near my house #1

Because it's always fun to know that potential deadly poisons grow right in your backyard, right ?

Well, not always deadly.

The winter aconite

Eranthis hyemalis

Toxicity level : high 😬

Reasons behind toxicity (+ fun facts) :

Glycosides that can even cause heart damage

Symptoms are mostly nausea or colicky abdominal pain.

The name "aconite" is usually associated to very poisonous plants. While this one doesn't belong to the same genus, it does have the same family : the ranunculacea

Its scientific name basically means "spring flower of winter"

Snowdrop

Galanthus nivalis

Toxicity level : moderate

Reasons behind toxicity (+ fun facts) :

I recently found a BUNCH of those near the area I live in

Contains alcaloids (special mention to my moot @post-troy-stress-disorder . I remember your "alcaloid enthusiast" post)

One of the alcaloids is lycorine (that causes the aforementioned symptoms)

An other one is galantamine, named like the plants genus. It's notably used to treat Alzheimer's. Treat being the key word, as it improves neuronal connections but doesn't cure the illness

Iirc galantamine also works against atropine

Causes nausea and gastrointestinal troubles

For any Greek myth enthusiast : snowdrop was identified as the moly plant in the Odyssey

More toxic plants in a follow-up post 😆

[kooku-alt]

Toxic plants I identified near my house #2

Spring is coming, flowers are starting to bloom... and with them comes a bunch of new toxic plants for me to gleefully showcase 😁!

(for legal reasons, I'll remind everyone that my enthusiasm is purely botanical)

Since I'll clearly make a third post, here's a read-more section to avoid making a ginormous post

Creeping mahonia

Okay, I probably come across that plant even more often than snowdrops :3. That means it's even more fun to learn it contains toxic components !

The leaves can vary from green to red-orange tones (something I actively witness in my daily walks)

The plant isn't completely toxic, as ripe berries are edible. They look like blueberries but taste bitter

All the other parts are toxic though, containing berberine!

The etymology behind the word is very fun, like with many other plant names, but it'd make the post longer than necessary

This chemical, first of all, matches the plant's scientific name : berberis renpens

Second of all, berberine is tied to many nasty illnesses, such as jaundice or hepatic toxicity (basically attack the liver)

Because of berberine, I fell in some kind of rabbit hole, reading articles explaining it is often promoted not as a poison but as... a natural alternative to Ozempic. Because it helps with cholesterol

The articles I've read do hammer in that it is NOT a miracle products. Don't consume it mindlessly ! Especially not with other medicine it could interact with

And guess which kind of chemical berberine is...Yet another alcaloid ! Atp I'm starting to think half of plant poisons are alcaloids 😅

Cherry laurel

I know what some of you may think: "Moderate toxins ? Booooring ! Where are the DEADLY poisons 😫"

Welp... this candidate won't disappoint you !

The cherry laurel is very common in North America and Europe, to the point of being invasive

Anyway, about the deadly poison... it is hidden in the leaves but mostly the seeds, containing cyanogenic glycosides✨. Including amygdalin, which is the most cited one

Cyanogenic= "can turn into cyanide, so you may want to avoid investing those"

And this is not the first time we're specifically talking about these chemicals on this blog !

I dedicated a whole post about their presence in hydrangeas !

Post by @kooku-alt · 3 images

💬 0  🔁 3  ❤️ 7 · Kooku's plant facts #1 : Hydrangeas and cyanide · First of all, welcome here ! I hope you'll have fun. This may seem VERY

Crushed leaves are said to smell like almonds... well, it probably has something to do with these components 😅

The whole "cyanide tasting like bitter almonds" thingy

Anyway, if you don't want to asphyxiate from a respiratory paralysis, I suggest staying away from this pretty plant

And most laurels in general, as they're pretty toxic

More toxic plants in the future !

[space-queen]

common toxic plants

this is not a complete list by any means, but these commonly noted plants, herbs, and flowers should be handled with care or avoided altogether. 

aconite (wolfsbane, monkshood) - all parts: dermatoxic, hepatotoxic, and neurotoxic

adam and eve (jack-in-the-pulpit, wild arum) - root: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic if ingested

african sumac - leaves: dermatoxic; possibly fatal

agave - juice: dermatoxic  

angel’s trumpet - all parts: cardiotoxic; often fatal

apple - seeds: cytotoxic in large doses

apricot - leaves and seeds: cytotoxic in large doses

arnica - gastrotoxic 

asparagus - berries: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic if ingested

azalea - all parts: cytotoxic and neurotoxic; rarely fatal

betel nut palm (pinyang) - all parts: gastrotoxic if ingested

bittersweet nightshade - all parts: neurotoxic and gastrotoxic; rarely fatal

black hellebore - all parts: cardiotoxic and gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

black locust (false acacia) - root bark and flowers: gastrotoxic

black nightshade - all parts except ripe fruit: neurotoxic and gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

bleeding heart - leaves and roots: neurotoxic

bloodroot - rhizomes: cytotoxic

blue passion flower (common passion flower) - leaves: cytotoxic

bracken - all parts: carcinogenic

buttercup - all parts: gastrotoxic and dermatoxic 

calabar bean (ordeal beans) - seeds: neurotoxic and gastrotoxic if ingested in large doses

cassava - leaves and roots: cytotoxic in large doses

castor bean (castor oil plant) - seeds:cytotoxic if ingested or inhaled

celandine - nephrotoxic 

cherry - leaves and seeds: cytotoxic in large doses

christmas rose - all parts: gastrotoxic

cocklebur - seedlings and seeds: gastrotoxic and neurotoxic

columbine - seeds and roots: cardiotoxic; easily fatal

corn lily (false hellebore) - all parts: cardiotoxic; often fatal

cowbane (water hemlock, snakeweed) - root: neurotoxic if ingested

daffodil - bulbs and stems: gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

datura/moonflower - all parts: gastrotoxic and cardiotoxic

deadly nightshade (belladonna) - all parts: cardiotoxic and neurotoxic; often fatal

desert rose (sabi star, kudu) - sap: cardiotoxic with skin contact

dumbcane - all parts: dermatoxic; possibly fatal

elder (elderberry) - root: gastrotoxic

elephant ear (angel wings) - all parts: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic

ergot - neurotoxic 

foxglove - leaves, seeds, and flowers: cardiotoxic; often fatal

garlic - all parts: gastrotoxic in animals

giant hogweed - all parts: dermatoxic

golden chain - all parts, especially seeds: neurotoxic and gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

goldenseal - all parts: gastrotoxic and neurotoxic in large doses

grapes/raisins - all parts: gastrotoxic in dogs

greater celandine - all parts: gastrotoxic in large doses

hemlock (spotted cowbane, poison snakeweed) - all parts: neurotoxic; possibly fatal

hemlock water dropwort - roots: neurotoxic if ingested; possibly fatal

henbane - all parts: neurotoxic and cardiotoxic

holly - berries: gastrotoxic

honeybush - all parts: gastrotoxic

honeysuckle - berries: gastrotoxic in mild cases and cardiotoxic in severe cases

horse chestnut - all parts: neurotoxic

hyacinth - bulbs: gastrotoxic and neurotoxic; possibly fatal

iris - rhizomes: gastrotoxic and dermatoxic 

kava kava - nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic 

kidney bean - raw: gastrotoxic

larkspur - young plants and seeds: neurotoxic; often fatal

lemon - oil: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic to animals  

lily - all parts: nephrotoxic

lily of the nile (calla lily) - all parts: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic if ingested; possibly fatal

lily of the valley - all parts: cardiotoxic; possibly fatal

lima beans - raw: gastrotoxic

lime - oil: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic in animals

lobelia - all parts: gastrotoxic 

mandrake - roots and leaves: gastrotoxic and neurotoxic

mango - peel and sap: dermatoxic

mangrove - bark and sap: dermatoxic and eye irritation

mayapple - all green parts and unripe fruit: gastrotoxic

meadow saffron (autumn crocus) - bulbs: gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

mistletoe - leaves and berries: gastrotoxic, cardiotoxic, and neurotoxic; rarely lethal in adults

moonseed - fruits and seeds: gastrotoxic; often fatal

mountain laurel - all green parts: gastrotoxic

nutmeg - raw: psychoactive in large doses

oak - leaves and acorns: gastrotoxic; rarely fatal

odollam tree (suicide tree) - seeds: cardiotoxic; often fatal

oleander - all parts: dermatoxic, cardiotoxic, and gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

onions - all parts: gastrotoxic in animals

orange - oil: dermatoxic and gastrotoxic in animals

peach - seeds and leaves: cytotoxic in large doses

periwinkle (vinca) - all parts: neurotoxic and potentially fatal

pokeweed - leaves, berries, and roots: gastrotoxic; often fatal

poison ivy/oak/sumac - all parts, especially leaves: dermatoxic; possibly fatal

poison ryegrass (darnel) - seeds: neurotoxic

potato - raw: cytotoxic

privet - berries and leaves: neurotoxic and gastrotoxic; possibly fatal

ragwort - all parts: hepatotoxic

redoul - all parts: gastrotoxic, neurotoxic, and causes respiratory issues; can be fatal in children

rhubarb - leaves: nephrotoxic

rosary pea - seeds: neurotoxic and gastrotoxic; often fatal

skullcap - hepatotoxic

spindle (spindle tree) - fruit: hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic; possibly fatal  

stinging tree (gympie gympie) - bark and sap: dermatoxic; sometimes fatal

strychnine tree - seeds: neurotoxic; often fatal

sweet pea - seeds: neurotoxic and damaging to connective tissues

tomato - leaves and stems: cytotoxic in large doses

uva ursi - neurotoxic, dermatoxic 

white baneberry (doll’s eyes) - all parts, especially berries: cardiotoxic; possibly fatal

white snakeroot - all parts: gastrotoxic; often fatal

winter cherry (jerusalem cherry) - all parts, especially berries: gastrotoxic; occasionally fatal, especially to children

wisteria - gastrotoxic

yew (english yew, common yew) - leaves and seeds: gastrotoxic if ingested and respiratory issues if inhaled

glossary:  carcinogenic - a substance that can cause cancer cardiotoxic - toxic to the heart cytotoxic - toxic to living cells dermatoxic - toxic to the skin gastrotoxic - toxic to the gastrointestinal system (stomach, intestines, etc.) hepatotoxic - toxic to the liver nephrotoxic - toxic to the kidneys and urological system (ureters, bladder) neurotoxic - toxic to the neurological system (brain, nerves, brainstem, spinal cord, etc.) psychoactive - pertaining to substances that change brain function and result in alterations in perception, mood, or consciousness

© 2025 space-queen

[kooku-alt]

Toxic plants I identified near my house #1

Because it's always fun to know that potential deadly poisons grow right in your backyard, right ?

Well, not always deadly.

The winter aconite

Eranthis hyemalis

Toxicity level : high 😬

Reasons behind toxicity (+ fun facts) :

Glycosides that can even cause heart damage

Symptoms are mostly nausea or colicky abdominal pain.

The name "aconite" is usually associated to very poisonous plants. While this one doesn't belong to the same genus, it does have the same family : the ranunculacea

Its scientific name basically means "spring flower of winter"

Snowdrop

Galanthus nivalis

Toxicity level : moderate

Reasons behind toxicity (+ fun facts) :

I recently found a BUNCH of those near the area I live in

Contains alcaloids (special mention to my moot @post-troy-stress-disorder . I remember your "alcaloid enthusiast" post)

One of the alcaloids is lycorine (that causes the aforementioned symptoms)

An other one is galantamine, named like the plants genus. It's notably used to treat Alzheimer's. Treat being the key word, as it improves neuronal connections but doesn't cure the illness

Iirc galantamine also works against atropine

Causes nausea and gastrointestinal troubles

For any Greek myth enthusiast : snowdrop was identified as the moly plant in the Odyssey

More toxic plants in a follow-up post 😆

[post-troy-stress-disorder]

# MY ALKALOIDSSSSS

YAAAAAAAAY

[kooku-alt]

PLEASE ramble about those plant adaptations some more, I'm so curious and it will give you the opportunity to review your lesson 😉

[ulises-aithon]

[katerinaaqu]

Unpopular Opinion: we miss the opportunity on having the Underworld Asphodel Fields look like a darker(and potentially cooler -who said that?!-) version of the world of the "Realm of Eternal Twilight" of Jigoku Shoujo!

Like imagine the possibilities of the house of Hades being surrounded by this eternal night with the mist and all and fields full of these Asphodels! We miss the opportunity I say!

[katerinaaqu]

Anime example again!!!!!! Asphodels be shining in the darkness like Lunar Flower from Wolf's Rain

eerie flowers growing within that dark murky world!

[ulises-aithon]

wait those are cactus flowers!

Epiphyllum oxypetalum

[katerinaaqu]

Wolf's Rain "Lunar Flowers" are inspired by the flower "Queen of the Night" indeed or Epiphyllum oxypetalum

The flower that blooms once during the night. It created this lore for the wolves try to find "Paradise" with them

[kooku-alt]

Allow me to join this conversation 👀

Fun fact: for being a plant associated with death, asphodels ironically aren't known as toxic. Quite the contrary, as they are edible and the little bulb (that's especially visible in the first image) can be used to make some kind of bread. Iirc they were even considered as some kind of famine food. But for this last point, I probably need more sources.

Then, I read about potential medical uses, especially against infection or for oral medicine (like this research about asphodelus microcarpus as an anti-inflammatory). So yep, a plant symbolizing death being used for medicine would be quite amusing.

In Greek mythology, this would 100% be Asclepius messing with Hades' plants and he would absolutely hate it 😂. (The beef between these two would continue, lol). Persephone probably wouldn't agree either :3

These images definitely give off the ghostly impression of asphodels that may link them to The underworld.

[eidola-eidola]

Myrtus communis by candiru on Flickr

[los-plantalones]

we love solanaceae... also we are terrified of her

[transbian-stoner]

Did anyone hear about the newly described Arum?

Its a relative of the Titan Arum, and has been given the botanical name Amorphophallus Yaoi.

This beautiful flower's name is Weird Dick Yaoi

[excalculus]

Looks like it was described in 2020: [paper link]

One of the other 4 new species described is A. fornicatus with the explanation "The species epithet refers to the shape of the spathe limb," so while the given explanation of A. yaoi being named for George Yao is definitely valid it's very possible the authors knew exactly what they were doing.

[creacher-art]

This is like, critical plant lore not only because the epithet Yaoi is funny as fuck, but FOUR new Amorphophallus were described in this study!!

I have a friend, David, who is working on a project dedicated to developing arum care protocols in wiki format and they are some very amazing plants, to say the least!

[kooku-alt]

Nvm the dick jokes, I'm reblogging this post a second time to include some actual botanical facts 🤣

[transbian-stoner]

Did anyone hear about the newly described Arum?

Its a relative of the Titan Arum, and has been given the botanical name Amorphophallus Yaoi.

This beautiful flower's name is Weird Dick Yaoi

[kooku-alt]

No way they named a plant Amorphophallus yaoi 🤣🤣🤣. I just know that the botanist behind that feels so proud about their accomplishment and that probably no one else in the committee knows what "yaoi" combined with these Greek words means.

Anyway, here is the penis plant :

[mn-nature-photos]

Wildlife Highlight #3: Coneflower

Hello and happy Tuesday! Today’s wildlife highlight will cover a delightful resident of both gardens and prairies: coneflowers (Genus Echinacea).

According to Wikipedia’s Article on Echinacea, these beautiful botanicals are native to forests and prairies of eastern and central North America. The species photographed, Echinacea purpurea, is also a popular choice for pollinator gardens. In addition to their ornamental uses, coneflowers have a history of use in traditional medicine. Many Indigenous peoples used echinacea to treat pain and infection, and it is currently used for coughs and sore throats. 

Now for a few fun facts, also from Wikipedia.

There are 10 species in the genus Echinacea. The taxonomic treatment of Echinacea has been cause for confusion due to a tendency to hybridize.

The name echinacea comes from the Greek word for hedgehog, ἐχῖνος (ekhinos).

According to Annotations.org, coneflowers have composite flowers. This means that the full flower is made up of two kinds of florets, disc florets (located in the center) and ray florets (seen as petals). The disc florets produce pollen and are able to reproduce, while the ray florets attract pollinators and are sterile.

Coneflowers can be a source of relief and relaxation as well as a beautiful sight. I have many fond memories of watching the growth of the coneflowers in my mom’s garden, and of the warm, soothing tea we would make from them. Hopefully these pretty perennial flowers will continue to grow and spread their joy for many years to come.

(All photos in this post were taken by me)

[kooku-alt]

Oooh, interesting !

[superkooku]

Fun fact (?) : I have an alt-account : @kooku-alt . I just made it for kicks and giggles but now I kinda want to use it. Do I need to ? Absolutely not. But I definitely want to. At least when/if I'm available because I have a busy year ahead of me.

What could its purpose be ?

Posting new memes separately

Reblogging some of the posts I put more thoughts into

Roleplay (?)

Fun facts about plants

Other/results

Voting ended onSep 16, 2025

I'm probably not gonna get that many answers because I'm just a Tumblr rando but if anyone has an idea, feel free to tell me.

Also, for roleplaying, I don't have anyone in mind for now but if it's the most voted on option, I'll think about it.

And I don't really want to use my alt-blog as a fanblog since I already ramble about my blorbos on here. So despite the Wangxian pfp, it won't be focused on MDZS. I also have way too many Greek mythology posts to just move that stuff to my alt-blog.

Finally, my alt-blog will maybe have multiple of those at once. Or maybe I'll make up other alt accounts for different stuff. Idk yet.

"Other" can be anything but it doesn't mean I'm automatically going to accept it.

[kooku-alt]

Ok, it's update time.

(the vote count is stagnating for now)

So first of all, thanks to the 6 people who voted :3, it's already more than I expected (the 7th vote was me because I'm too impatient to see the result 🤣).

And shout-out to my moots @hermesmoly, @post-troy-stress-disorder and @kingkai4ever for following me on this account 😁🙏.

Looks like the plants fun fact have won. Which is great because I've gotten really enthusiastic about this option.

It's a subject that began to interest me a few months ago but kind of seemed complicated to integrate to my main blog. So now I'll get to ramble about those too.

Just some precisions

It's a new hobby of mine, so I'm still learning. If I make any mistake or someone more experienced corrects me, it's normal

I'm definitely not a professional botanist or even a specialist

The fun facts won't have any professional formatting. I'll either make up posts with ramblings (I'll try to do it weekly or twice a week) or reblog other fun facts from fellow botany enjoyers.

I'm still gonna keep the Wangxian pfp. I'll just change the banner art because even though I love "the slap™" in Berserk, it doesn't really fit the vibe of the blog.

Also, for the one person who voted "memes" I'll try to make or reblog some plant memes once in a while.

If the voting somehow changes, I still think I'm going to do plant fun facts anyway because my blog my rules 😝. But I'll try to integrate some of the winning option as well.

[kooku-alt]

I'll try to do it weekly or twice a week

And this is why putting "try" in italics was very important, folks.

Btw this blog isn't dead, I'm just having a busy year. Since I'm having a more relaxed period, I'll very likely be more active

[kooku-alt]

Ok I'm never gonna promise anything again, lmao but I have another relatively relaxed period coming up and wanna post more stuff 👀

[gina025]

Succulent cactus cupcakes

[kooku-alt]

These are so well made 👀👀.

Succulent in every sense of the word! (I know it doesn't seem juicy enough to properly be called this way but I like my lame plant puns and I don't care)

[drumlincountry]

If your life is horrible and you need a new source of meaning and direction.... Do NOT find religion. Learn to identify plants.

[kooku-alt]

For everyone slightly interested in plants, gardening, botany or just nature in general, I really recommend it.

It's always so fun to go on the street and be like "Omg it's *x plant* right here ! 😁". You start recognizing species you've already encountered, and then you notice the beautiful little life forms surrounding us in our daily life, you stop outside to take some silly pics for identification purposes and just look at what nature brings us.

It's truly satisfying and relaxing and you don't even have to pay a single penny for that since there's free information available everywhere! Especially in our economy, that's worth something.

(btw I'm faaaaar from being a professional or an expert. This is just an amateur sharing one of the lil pleasures of life).

[kooku-alt]

Kooku's plant facts #2 : Manchineel

Happh halloween ! 🎃

And so, here I am, casually making a post about one of the scariest plants we could find on Earth. Not a popular toxic one like belladonna or hemlock, not a carnivorous plant, but simply the Manchineel tree. Aka the world's deadliest plant ☠️

It's not THAT unknown, since I've heard about it a couple of times on the net, but I'd be very glad to talk about it a bit :3.

Where is it found ? The Caribbean, central to Southern America

1. The Manchineel's plant family

The Manchineel is this little guy :

Yes, the fruit literally looks like a fig 😭.

So, the Manchineel tree belongs to the Hippomane genus and the spurge family (Euphorbiacae), a succulent plant group.

Btw it belongs to the same family as ricinus (on the left) or just simple euphorbias (on the right). So they basically vary between a very poisonous plant and some plant one can casually bring at home. It's always so fun to see how different two plants of the same family can be.

To explain how the toxicity of Euphorbiacae or plants in general can vary, I found this Reddit comment :

(btw I found it on r/Euphorbiacae. Yes, this subreddit exists)

Though our Manchineel is clearly closer to the second part of the sentence

2. Why so toxic ?

The culprit ? The milky sap flowing inside the plant. Like for many plants of the Euphorbiacae family, the sap is very toxic.

The sap contains phorbol esters, which can cause cellular damage, irritation or can even act as promotors (basically starting signals) for tumors. So it has a limited but still interesting carcinogenic effect.

But the "cellular damage" part is the more problematic one : it can irritate the skin, cause blisters, pain, swelling and if it enters the blood stream though, idk, a paper cut of whatnot, it's even worse.

And I only mentioned what happens id it touches the skin. If it's eaten, if it touches the eye or even if it's inhaled... the toxic effects are even more severe. We're talking toxic shock, internal bleeding, or offer lethally severe consequences.

3. Why does the Manchineel stand out ?

So, since only the sap is toxic, we would assume that as long as we don't touch the liquid itself, the lanchineel isn't THAT dangerous, right ? That we could maaaybee eat the fruit or at least just stand near it ? Well, I have some bad news for you 😅.

Don't even try to eat the fruit, as the sap flows inside it. Yes, it is said to be sweet... but I don't think that your throat swelling and the toxic shock are worth the try.

Don't touch the leaves, the branches, or any part of the Manchineel tree either. If you do it with gloves, you'd have to get rid of them because they were contaminated.

As for merely standing under the Manchineel tree, ESPECIALLY on a rainy day ? It could cause the sap to mix up with the rain and ultimately fall on your skin.

Even burning the tree is a bad idea since the phorbol esters in the sap will be carried through the smoke.

When I'm telling you that this tree is a menace, I'm not joking.

It is so dangerous, to the point that there are even signs with actual warnings in front of them :

4. More infos on the Manchineel

To be less negative : the Manchineel tree still brings some benefits to the local ecosystems, as it provides habitat for wildlife species (that, I assume, are immune to the sap) and prevents too much erosion through its stable roots

Its poison has been used by some cultures on their darts. This tree was even used as a torture device by letting people stand beneath it exposed.

It's also used for some medical purposes (the dried fruits as diuretics) or to build furniture.

Sources

https://www.sabapark.org/downloads/SCF Manchineel Advisory.pdf

https://datasheets.scbt.com/sc-253267.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchineel

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR370

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-world-39-s-most-dangerous-tree-botanical-research-institute-of-texas-library/ZQUR5vjwXlPgfA?hl=en