The berry's toxicity varies from tree to tree and region to region. The fruit carries a foul taste that attracts only birds. The berries depending on the amount of poison in them cause nausea and severe abdominal pain, paralysis and seizures. People vomit blood and struggle to breathe. Death, from respiratory failure, usually takes 12 to 15 hours.
Symptoms tend to start within a few hours of the first nibble.
Some poison and horticulture experts expressed surprise that Elrod survived even a day's worth of the fruit. No agency, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to state and regional poison and toxicology centers, could recall any other deaths in the United States from China berries. Children have reportedly died in India, where the trees thrive. Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved.