Monster Monday: the Gympie-Gympie
Monday, May 23rd, 2016May 23, 2016
Can a tree be a monster? One of the most venomous plants in the world, the gympie-gympie tree (Dendrocnide moroides) of Australia surely qualifies as monstrous. The broad, heart-shaped leaves of this plant look quite harmless, but the stinging barbs that cover it have been known to drive people insane with pain and even kill. The gympie-gympie tree proves that even nature’s most innocent-looking residents can pack a deadly punch—or, in this case, a sting.
The gympie-gympie tree is actually a large woody shrub in the nettle family, a group of plants with stinging bristles that mainly grow as weeds in North America, Europe, and Asia. The tree is named for the Gympie region of northeastern Australia, where it commonly grows more than 6 feet (2 meters) tall. It is also found in forested regions of the Moluccas islands in Indonesia. The leaves, stems, and even the fruits are covered with a fine layer of hollow, hair-like, stinging needles that contain a powerful neurotoxin (nerve poison) that causes excruciating pain. This neurotoxin, called moroidin, is so long-lasting that people feel pain for over a year if the stinging hairs are not removed from the skin. Even the dried leaves preserved in museum collections can inflict an incredibly painful sting when touched.
In Australia, the much-feared gympie-gympie is a constant hazard for forest workers, surveyors, and lumber workers. It is especially common along roadways, streams, and river banks, where gaps in the forest cover provide suitable light for it to grow. Local folklore recounts tales of horses and dogs that were killed within hours of stumbling into the venomous bush. Some animals even ended their lives by jumping off cliffs to escape the suffering. Australian surveyor A.C. Macmillan first reported these deadly effects in 1866. He wrote about one of his horses that was “stung, got mad, and died within two hours” after running into the plant. Another famous tale, of questionable origin, tells of a soldier who shot himself to end his agony after using gympie-gympie leaves as toilet paper.
There is no antidote for the monstrous sting of the gympie-gympie tree. Aspirin and other pain relievers may help with minor encounters with the stinging leaves. But the venomous stingers will continue causing searing pain as long as they remain in the skin. Some local Australians recommend using duct tape or sticky bandages to rip the venomous hairs from the skin.