The Tree That Throws Grenades

A Glimpses of Wonder Entry

Imagine strolling through a tropical forest. Everything is peaceful—birds call overhead, sunlight filters through thick leaves—until you come across a towering tree with a straight trunk. At first, it seems ordinary. But then you look closer. The entire bark is covered in sharp, conical spikes, jutting out like armor. It’s the sandbox tree, also known as the dynamite tree. And it doesn’t just look dangerous—it explodes.

The Fruit That Detonates Midair

High in the branches of this tree grow small, ridged fruits that look a bit like miniature pumpkins. But they’re not sweet or soft. As they dry out under the tropical sun, something remarkable begins to happen: pressure builds inside the fruit’s thick shell.

And then—boom. With a startling crack, the fruit explodes while still attached to the tree, hurling its seeds at up to 150 miles per hour, sometimes over 100 feet away. Bits of fruit shell may go flying too, all part of the tree’s dramatic seed dispersal.

This violent burst isn’t chaotic—it’s precise. By launching its seeds far from the parent tree, the sandbox tree gives them space to grow in open soil, away from the shade and competition below. Even this loud, aggressive method has a life-giving purpose.

Built for Defense

The sandbox tree isn’t just explosive—it’s well-guarded. Its bark is lined with large, sharp spikes that make it nearly unclimbable. And the milky white sap inside the tree is toxic, known to cause severe skin irritation or even temporary blindness. In centuries past, indigenous peoples used the sap to poison their arrow tips.

It’s a tree designed to defend itself—and it does so effectively.

An Unlikely Writing Companion

Despite its fierce defenses, the sandbox tree once played a role in something gentle: helping people write neatly. Before quick-drying ink and ballpoint pens, people wrote with quill pens dipped in liquid ink. That ink took time to dry and often smeared across the page.

To solve this, writers would sprinkle fine sand or powder over the wet ink to blot it. That sand was stored in small containers called “sandboxes”—many of them made from the dried fruit of the sandbox tree. The ridged, rounded fruit, once hollowed out and fitted with a perforated lid, made the perfect dispenser.

So a tree that explodes high in the canopy once sat quietly on desks, helping preserve the written word.

A Glimpse of Divine Wisdom

The sandbox tree might seem strange, even dangerous. But it’s also deeply purposeful. Its explosive fruit, toxic sap, and spiked armor each serve a role in its survival and growth. Nothing is random. The design is deliberate.

As Proverbs 3:19–20 says:

“Jehovah founded the earth in wisdom. He established the heavens in discernment. By his knowledge the watery deeps were split apart, and the clouds drip with dew.”

(Proverbs 3:19–20 – JW Study Bible)

Even the fiercest creations in the forest are part of that wisdom. They don’t just survive—they tell a story. One of wonder. One of purpose.

Another glimpse—of wonder.