Gympie-Gympie - The Agonizing Stinging Tree

_{Image: Cgoodwin (Wikimedia)}

Don't let the plain, fuzzy appearance fool you, one touch of this Australian plant and you'll immediately regret the life choices that have lead you to this moment. The Gympie-Gympie stinging tree (Dendrocnide moroides) is the most painful of the four species of stinging trees in the family Urticaceae. The other three members are the Atherton Tableland Stinger, the Shiny Leaf Stinging Tree, and the Giant Stinging Tree.

The leaves, stem, and fruit are all covered in tiny silica hairs that will break off when touched. The hairs will act as small, hypodermic needles as they inject toxins into the victim's skin. Generating pain that has been described by Dr Hugh Spencer, of the Cape Tribulation Tropical Research Station, as feeling like you are "being attacked by wasps." Dr. Marina Hurley, who spent three years studying the plants until her doctor advised no further contact after multiple stings, goes further stating "Being stung is the worst kind of pain you can imagine – like being burnt with hot acid and electrocuted at the same time."

An effective treatment for the sting is to use waxing strips to remove the hairs. Rubbing the affected area is more likely to damage the hairs and cause them to break off into your skin, prolonging your suffering for months to potentially even years as intermittent outbreaks of pain continue to occur when triggered by contact.

Read more: Australian Geographic Article
Read more: Australian Geographic Fact Sheet