“What is Gympie-Gympie? The World’s Most Poisonous Plant That Drove a Man to Shoot Himself

The World’s Most Poisonous Plant: Just how poisonous can a plant be? For that crown, the answer goes to Gympie-Gympie, a contemptible-green little plant that can spark suicidal thoughts in a person. It has sharp, minute hair-like needles full of fatal poison, which can drive a person to commit suicide.

As per a report by Firstpost, the plant is more commonly called as the Australian stinging tree and has been formally named Dendrocnide Moroides. The sting it has is broadly described with the words of burning by a hot acid and electrocuted by it all at the same time.

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Where is the plant found?

Specifically, it grows in rainforest regions of Australasia, the Moluccas, and Indonesia. A leafy shrub with heart-shaped foliage, it looks entirely harmless. However, touching it without sufficient protection could result in a very fatal effect.

What makes Gympie-Gympie so dangerous?

The plant has hair-like needles all over its body, filled with powerful neurotoxin. Reportedly, the initial contact causes a burning sensation which later intensifies causing painfully unbearable conditions.

“Although they come from a plant, the gympietides are similar to spider and cone snail toxins in the way they fold into their 3D molecular structures and target the same pain receptors — this arguably makes the Gympie-Gympie tree a truly ‘venomous’ plant’,” Irina Vetter, an associate professor at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience, told Firstpost.

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What causes the pain?

Vetter has also still further disclosed that the toxins of the tree target pain receptors like that of the scorpion or spider venom. The pain continues for months after that, even depriving people of sleep without the required condition. Some even go beyond this level and end up committing suicide.

"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." John Knox, the head tour guide at Poison Garden, where the plant is on display, told the Mirror.

“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,” he added.

Dangerous consequences

According to Mirror, an Australian soldier went mad after he had an encounter with the plant during World War two. Another incident that has been reported is of a man who shot himself after suffering unbearable pain from the leaves of the plant, which he unknowingly used as toilet paper.

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