Looking at the green, heart-shaped leaves is beautiful, but who would have thought that this plant contains a deadly neurotoxin.
There is no denying that trees are the lungs of the Earth, providing us with fresh air and adding beauty to our vibrant lives.
However, alongside creating beautiful plants, Mother Nature also has some terrifying “children” that instill fear in anyone who sees them. Their appearance may be stunning, but they can incapacitate a person with just a light touch.
The plant we are referring to is the Gympie-gympie (scientific name: Dendrocnide moroides), primarily found in the northeastern region of Australia and the Maluku Islands of Indonesia.
Dendrocnide comes from ancient Greek, where “déndron” means “tree”, and knídē means “nettle.” Indeed, Dendrocnide moroides, with its heart-shaped, soft, hairy leaves, is considered the most poisonous plant in Australia and carries the nickname “suicide plant.” The soft appearance of its leaves is due to being covered in thousands of tiny stinging hairs, which contain a toxin so horrific that victims endure excruciating pain for weeks, even years afterward.
A One-Second Touch Can Haunt You for Life…
Growing near the rainforests of eastern Australia, from the Cape York Peninsula to northern New South Wales, this is one of the six stinging tree species found in the land of kangaroos.
At first glance, Gympie-gympie appears to be a harmless shrub with soft green leaves, but in reality, it harbors a toxin with devastating neurotoxic effects.
Upon closer inspection, you will notice that Gympie-gympie is covered in a dense layer of fine hairs resembling tiny needles protruding sharply.
The hairs on the leaves penetrate the body, causing extreme pain.
It may seem “gentle”, but just try touching it, and you’ll regret it. Why?
Because the hairs on Gympie-gympie seem to penetrate your skin immediately, releasing a strong neurotoxin – moroidin – that causes excruciating pain.
This pain will truly torment the victim as the toxin spreads. Specifically, within 30 minutes of contact, you will know what “torture” feels like.
The leaves are heart-shaped, measuring 12-22cm long and 11-18cm wide with serrated edges.
The first sensation you will notice is a burning sting that surrounds you. It feels as if the skin is covered in boiling acid and experiencing continuous electric shocks.
The pain gradually intensifies, especially around the joints, and it does not relent.
Gympie-gympie can also release its hairs into the environment.
If the victim has a weak immune system and does not receive timely treatment, they can go into shock and die.
Horrifyingly, the effects of this toxin can last for 2 to 3 years if the hairs stuck on the skin are not completely removed.
The fruit of Gympie-gympie is quite attractive and has a sweet taste.
However, the dangers of this deadly plant do not stop there. According to ecologist Marina Hurley, Gympie-gympie can also release its hairs into the environment.
Just getting close and inhaling the hairs can cause sneezing, rashes, allergies, and nosebleeds… Even when the leaves are dry, they can still poison humans and mammals.
Believe it or not, this plant does bear fruit. Of course, its fruit is also covered in hairs. But the fruit exists to attract animals to eat it, while everything else about the plant seems to scream “stay away.”
Unless you are a red-legged pademelon.
The fruit and leaves of the Gympie plant can be food for other species. (Photo: Theconversation).
During her research, Hurley occasionally found a Gympie that had been eaten by something. Sometimes they were grazed on by insects small enough to avoid the stinging hairs. But in some cases, the leaves were clearly bitten by a larger animal.
It turns out to be the pademelon – a type of marsupial. They have developed immunity to the toxic hairs and comfortably feed on the nutritious leaves.
The more she learned, the more she realized that Gympie-gympie is not necessarily terrifying for all species. In fact, native birds, insects, and mammals in Australia hardly face any issues with it. Meanwhile, species like horses, dogs, and humans are entirely different.
At the “Most Dangerous Garden in England,” the Gympie-gympie plant is displayed in a locked glass box with a warning sign “Do Not Touch” to ensure visitor safety.
If You Accidentally Touch Gympie-gympie – Truly “Better Dead Than Alive”
There are numerous stories recorded about accidental encounters with Gympie-gympie.
Even the branches are full of “toxic hairs.”
In 1994, a man named Cyril Bromley accidentally fell into this plant during a training exercise. In the hospital, doctors had to strap him tightly to the bed for three weeks to prevent him from scratching at the swollen areas.
He was treated with various remedies, but none were effective. Unable to bear the pain, he succumbed.
A woman in Australia, Naomi Lewis, shared that the pain from Gympie-gympie was even worse than childbirth multiple times. Lewis fell onto the Gympie-gympie after a bike accident in Queensland and later had to be hospitalized for treatment. Nine months later, she still felt the pain.
Another case reported was of an officer who, unaware of the danger, mistakenly used Gympie-gympie leaves as… toilet paper and subsequently had to take his own life due to the unbearable pain it caused.
Warning sign about the dangers of the Gympie-gympie plant.
Going back to 1963, Ernie Rider, who was touched by Gympie-gympie leaves on his face and body, shared: “For the first 2-3 days, I was in unbearable pain, as if a giant hand was crushing my chest.
The wounds worsened in the following weeks. The pain persisted for two years and recurred every time I took a cold shower.”
In the 1960s, this bizarre plant was researched by the British Army and Professor Alan Seawright at the University of Queensland (Australia) for potential use in biological weapons.
This plant was researched by the British Army for potential use in biological weapons.
What to Do to Escape the “Deathly Pain”?
To this day, the recommended treatment if you accidentally touch this plant is to apply diluted hydrochloric acid (1:10 ratio) to the affected skin area.
Then use tape and tweezers to remove the toxic hairs from the skin before heading to the nearest hospital, as the longer the hairs remain embedded in the skin, the more intense the pain will be.
Benefits of Gympie-gympie
However, besides causing pain, Dendrocnide moroides also offers various benefits to humans. Researchers at the University of Queensland have utilized the toxin in the plant to help relieve pain. By removing the toxin from a protein called TMEM233, this plant has become friendly to humans.
