Why is the Gympie Gympie so painful?
Typical leaf from a stinging bush found in eastern Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Known as Gympie-gympie in Australia and salat in Papua New Guinea, contact with this leaf can result in human death, more often extreme pain that can last for months. Stinging hairs deliver a potent neurotoxin when touched.
What happens if you get stung by a Gympie Gympie?
Shortly after this, your joints may ache, and you might get swelling under your armpits, which can be almost as painful as the original sting. In severe cases, this can lead to shock, and even death. Stories abound of gympie-gympie’s notorious side effects. Stung horses have been known to die within hours.
What does the stinging tree look like?
The leaves are clearly visible, very large, broadly ovate, pale green, hairy and often heavily chewed by insects. The young leaves have more stinging hairs than mature ones. Botanical name: Dendrocnide excelsa, (also known as Laportea gigas), Dendrocnide moroides, (also known as Laportea moroides).
What does a Gympie Gympie feel like?
Gympie gympie The stinging leaves trigger an intense allergic reaction in its victims, sometimes even causing anaphylactic shock. The sting can cause excruciating, debilitating pain for months; people have variously described it as feeling like they are being burned by acid, electrocuted, or squashed by giant hands.
Is Gympie Gympie real?
Dendrocnide moroides, commonly known in Australia as the stinging tree, stinging bush or gympie-gympie, is a plant in the nettle family Urticaceae found in rainforest areas of Malesia and Australia. It is notorious for its extremely painful and long-lasting sting.
Where are stinging trees located?
eastern Australia
The trees, which can grow taller than 100 feet, are found throughout the rain forests of eastern Australia, where they are known to torment hikers. “It’s like having a nail shoved into your flesh,” said Dr. Gilding, a biologist at the University of Queensland and self-described sting connoisseur.
What happens if you touch a stinging tree?
Nettles are plants with sharp hairs on their leaves. If you touch them, these hairs inject irritants into the skin, making it itchy, red and swollen.
Is Gympie-Gympie real?
Can Gympie-Gympie be cured?
At the moment, there is no antidote for a gympie sting. Doctors advise victims not to rub the stung area since this can break the hairs even more causing them to spread further in the skin. Pouring a 1:10 solution of diluted hydrochloric acid over the sting can also help a bit with the pain.
Where is the Gympie Gympie plant found in Australia?
northeastern Australia
Primarily found in tropical areas of northeastern Australia, gympie-gympie grows prolifically in rainforest clearings and along creek lines.
How many Gympie Gympies are there?
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).