The Gympie-Gympie plant – also known as the stinging tree – has tiny hair-like needles full of toxins which can grow up to 10 metres tall and went on display in England
There is a lethal plant out there thought to be the most toxic in the world – known for a sting so agonising it has driven some people to contemplate suicide.
The ferocious Gympie-Gympie sports fine needle-like hairs brimming with poison, and this monstrous flora can reach lofty heights of up to 10 metres. Contact with its hair can result in an excruciating sensation akin to both electrocution and burning – a torment that can persist for weeks, or even months. In extreme instances, the relentless pain has led sufferers to take their own lives.
The infamous Australian-native Gympie-Gympie, scientifically dubbed Dendrocnide moroides, was put on public display in Alnwick Garden, Northumberland in 2023. Given its high-risk nature, it is presented behind the safety of a glass enclosure and cared for by a designated horticulturalist.
Within this Poison Garden, visitors can find over 100 hazardous and intoxicating species of plants. Poised ominously alongside specimens like cannabis and the deadly ricin, the Gympie-Gympie is watched carefully by visitors and staff alike.
John Knox, the head tour guide at the location, had this to say about the vilified vegetation: “The plant usually flowers and produces its fruits when it is less than three metres tall, and it could reach up to 10m in height. The stem, branches, petioles, leaves, and fruits are all covered in the stinging hairs and not to be touched.”
He continued with a chilling warning: “The tiny brittle hairs, known as trichomes, are loaded with toxins over the entire plant and if touched, stay in the skin for up to a year. And release the toxin cocktail into the body during triggering events such as touching the affected area, contact with water, or temperature changes.”
In 2022 a man grew one of the plants at home, showcasing his unique flora display in a secure enclosure with a warning sign. Daniel Emlyn-Jones, 49, deliberately cultivated the notorious gympie-gympie stinging tree at his residence, aiming to spark curiosity about unusual plants.
He stated: “I don’t want to come over as a loon. I’m doing it very safely. Some botanic gardens have these plants as interesting specimens.”
Originating from Australia, the plant’s deadly effects were first discovered in 1866, after a road surveyor’s horse suffered a fatal sting. Other dire incidents have also been documented, including an Australian soldier who endured weeks of ineffective treatments following a painful encounter with the nettles during World War Two, eventually succumbing to madness.
Another reported incident involved a person who unintentionally used the leaves as toilet paper, which supposedly drove him to shoot himself. Meanwhile, Daniel’s green thumb has had more pleasant outcomes, as evidenced by his successful banana cultivation in 2021, following years of persistence.
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