to be stung by a stinging nettle,
you will know how painful that can be, so you
really do not want to be stung by one of these, it has been known
to kill dogs, horses and humans alike, if you’re lucky enough to survive, you feel excruciating pain that can last several months and reoccur for
years, even a dry specimen can inflict pain, almost a hundred years after being
picked, so if you are out and about in in
the rain forest areas of north-eastern Australia, the Moluccas and
Indonesia, be on the lookout for the heart shaped leaves of the Gympie-Gympie,
(Dendrocnide
moroides),
with the exception of its
roots, every single part of the deadly tree – its heart shaped leaves, its stem
and its pink/purple fruit – is covered with tiny stinging hairs shaped like
hypodermic needles, you only need to lightly touch the plant to get stung,
after which the hair penetrates the body and releases a painful toxin called moroidin, the same chemical
that is in our native stinging nettles, sometimes, merely being in the presence of
the plant and breathing the hair that it sheds into the air can cause itching,
rashes, sneezing and terrible nosebleeds, so if you go out to the woods today
look out for a big surprise, if you walk into a Gympie-Gympie!
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