Here’s all the information you need on this potent plant. The Gympie-Gympie is one of four species of stinging tree in Australia.
Indeed, A typical Gympie-Gympie plant in Far North Queensland. Image credit: Hugh Spencer Don’t let its harmless, fuzzy-leafed appearance fool you: the Gympie-Gympie stinging tree will leave you in agonising pain from the gentlest touch. Consequently, Gympie-Gympie sounds adorable, but if you pay any attention to its scientific name Dendrocnide moroides, you would know its to be avoided. Dendrocnide is derived from the Ancient Greek word déndron, meaning “tree”, and knídē, which means “stinging needle.” Next, Though it's covered in a layer of downy fuzz, the "hairs" of the gympie-gympie plant deliver a sting so toxic that the pain can last for years. Wikimedia Commons The unsuspecting leaf of the gympie-gympie stinging tree. Although the leaves of the gympie-gympie plant may look soft and fuzzy, one touch will make anybody regret they ever saw it. In respect to this, One of the world’s most venomous plants, the Gympie-Gympie stinging tree can cause months of excruciating pain for unsuspecting humans. A Decrease font size. A Reset font size.
20 Similar Question Found
How tall does a gympie gympie tree grow?
The gympie-gympie is one of four species of stinging tree or brush in Australia, though the gympie-gympie is by far the most painful. The poisonous plant, which is also in the nettle family, can grow up to 10 feet tall and has large heart-shaped leaves that can measure two feet across.
How is the gympie-gympie tree related to other stinging trees?
Related to. The Gympie-Gympie is one of four species of stinging tree in Australia. The three closely related species, also of the family Urticaceae, are the giant stinging tree (Dendrocnide excelsa), the shiny leaf stinging tree (Dendrocnide photinophylla) and the Atherton Tableland stinger (Dendrocnide cordata).
What's the effect of a gympie gympie tree?
Entomologist and ecologist Marina Hurley, who studies various species of Australian stinging trees, has likened the gympie-gympie's effect to "being burnt with hot acid and electrocuted at the same time." Yet, there are some marsupial species, insects and birds that consume the plant's leaves and fruits with no problem.
Where can i find gympie gympie stinging tree?
! Proliferating in rainforest clearings, along creek-lines and small tracks, the Gympie-Gympie stinging tree ( Dendrocnide excelsa) has long been a hazard for foresters, surveyors and timber workers – some of whom are today supplied with respirators, thick gloves and anti-histamine tablets as a precaution.
What makes a gympie gympie a stinging tree?
However, the tree’s appearance belies a terrifyingly effective defence mechanism, tiny silica hairs that cover virtually the entire plant filled with a hideously potent neurotoxin.
How tall does a gympie gympie stinging tree get?
‘Gympie-Gympie’ is hardly the name you’d expect for a stinging-tree. It looks quite harmless too, but in reality, the Gympie-Gympie is one of the most venomous plants in the world. Commonly found in the rainforest areas of north-eastern Australia, the Moluccas and Indonesia, it is known to grow up to one to two meters in height.
Is the gympie gympie tree poisonous to humans?
Marina is not alone in her allergic reaction to this innocent-looking plant – one of six stinging-tree species found in Australia, and one of the most poisonous plants here – or her dramatic accounts.
What kind of tree is the gympie gympie?
Oddly one of Australia’s most dangerous inhabitants is an unassuming looking tree with a stupid name. The Gympie Gympie. At first glance the Gympie Gympie looks harmless enough and could easily be mistaken from a distance for a lesser, shittier tree.
What kind of plant is gympie gympie stinging tree?
One such plant is the Gympie-Gympie stinging tree (Species name: Dendrocnide moroides) of the family Urticaceae. Now the really bad news is that there are four other species of stinging tree shrubs in Australia, but nothing quite compares to the pain that the Gympie-Gympie inflicts ... and here is what this innocent 'pain-inflictor' looks like:
Is the gympie gympie plant poisonous to humans?
Every part of the gympie-gympie plant is toxic: the leaves, stems and fruits; do not touch! The gympie-gympie plant ( Dendrocnide moroides) is a member of the nettle family (Urticaceae) and is quite notorious in the plant world for its painful sting.
What kind of rash does gympie gympie plant cause?
This plant possesses a strong neurotoxin that causes a severe rash. The small red bumps that form upon contact then turn into hives that form a red welt on the exposed skin.
Can you get stung by a gympie gympie?
The Gympie-Gympie is just as capable of stinging when its leaves are dead. Hugh says even people looking at specimens in a collection can be stung – the toxin in the hairs is sealed off as it would be in a little glass vial, and seems unaffected by age.
Where to find gympie gympie in the rainforest?
Requiring sunlight to germinate, it is found in rainforest clearings, and along creek lines and tracks. The stinging apparatus of the gympie-gympie is similar to the common stinging nettle.
Why is the gympie gympie sting so painful?
The Gympie-Gympie doesn’t have a very threatening name. But it’s sting is so painful that, allegedly, a man actually committed suicide to stop the pain, pain which didn’t subside for weeks. In this video, a brave/foolhardy man touches the plant intentionally.
When was the gympie gympie plant first recorded?
The toxicity of the gympie-gympie plant was first recorded in 1866, when a road surveyor reported that his horse was stung by the plants and "got mad, and died within two hours."
Is the gympie gympie plant a death sentence?
The Australian "Gympie-Gympie" plant causes such intense pain that touching it is a likely death sentence. While the damage caused by the plant species Dendrocnide moroides has been recounted in various outlets, one graphic spreading in August 2019 adds apocryphal claims to the stories around it.
Where are gympie gympie plants found in the world?
It's native to the rainforests of northeast Australia and is also found in parts of Indonesian. The gympie-gympie is said to be one of the world's most venomous plants. Requiring sunlight to germinate, it is found in rainforest clearings, and along creek lines and tracks.
Where is the gympie cinema in gympie located?
Gympie Cinemas 82 Monkland Street, GympieQLD4570|(07) 5482 8200 0 movie playing at this theater today, June 1 Sort by PopularityTitleUser RatingRelease DateRuntime Online showtimes not available for this theater at this time. Please contact the theater for more information.
Is there a gympie mower shop in gympie?
Gympie Mower Centre on premises fully accredited workshop and service facilities. At Gympie Mower Centre we have full workshop facilities and keep a large range of spare parts on hand to get your machine working again quickly.
Are there any horror stories about the gympie gympie?
There's no shortage of horror stories about the gympie gympie. One ex-serviceman, Cyril Bromley, fell into one of the plants during WWII training exercises, and he ended up strapped to a hospital bed, "as mad as a cut snake." Bromley also told a story of an officer who unknowingly used a leaf as toilet paper. He ended up shooting himself.
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