When your profession is based on plants, you can become monotonous and want to find new emotions. Something for which, in fact, you don’t even have to leave the world of botany. There is no more to see the case of Daniel Emlyn-Jonesan English botanist who has become quite famous on social media for knowingly and voluntarily keeping one of the most painful plants in the world in his home.
It’s about the Dendrochnid moroidsbetter known as Gympie-Gympie either suicide sting. This last name gives a small approximation of how painful this plant can be. In fact, it’s so dangerous that Emlyn-Jones himself has it. inside a cageto avoid your own temptations or those of the people who visit your plant collection.
Native of the rainforests of eastern and northern Australia, the Moluccas, and Indonesia, this plant contains an unforgettable neurotoxin for those who come across it. Those who have touched it, by accident or on purpose, describe the feeling as exasperating. There are even stories of people who in the past they came to commit suicide to not have to bear the pain. In addition, it can cause allergic reactions without even touching it. Of course, although there are those who speak of it as the most dangerous plant in the world, in reality this is not true. And it is that, although it is deadly for animals such as dogs or horses, it does not generally kill humans. Instead, there are plants that are so poisonous that they can be deadly.
Crazed Horses and Military Suicides
The first person who described the effects of the plant Gympie-Gympie was the Australian road surveyor AC Mcmillan. In 1866, he reported that, while working outdoors, His horse accidentally brushed against the plant. Shortly after, he began to behave in desperation, increasingly insane, and ended up dying within two hours. It is not the only case reported in horses. In fact, there are stories of some who came to jump off a cliff in the face of pain caused by sting of the plant.
Humans are generally not killed, unless the contact is very great. However, the sensation of pain can become so great that there are those who have committed suicide because of it. It was told in 1994 by the former military Cyril Bromley In statements collected later by Australian Geographic. In his case, he came across the plant while on maneuvers during World War II. Immediately, he began to feel such intense pain that he had to be taken to the hospital, where he was tied to a bed for three weeks. But at least he lived to tell the tale, for he also recalled another army officer that, after accidentally using a Gympie-Gympie blade to clean himself while relieving himself, the pain was so immense that he shot himself not to bear it.
Another testimony collected in the same medium is that of Ernie RiderSenior Conservation Officer for the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. In his case, the encounter with the plant took place in 1963. She describes it as giant hands trying to crush his chest. Also, the pain was unbearable for several days. And, although the worst part ended up receding, still reactivates when taking a cold shower.
This plant also causes allergies
Interestingly, this plant does not affect some animals that feed on it, such as certain insects and marsupials. The causes are not clear, so it is part of the research area of scientists such as Marina Hurleyfrom the University of New South Wales.
But investigating the Gympie-Gympie comes at a price that she, too, had to pay. And it is that, even without having touched the plant, she has already generated some allergic symptoms requiring hospitalization. He also came into contact with her physically and describes the feeling as burn and electrocute at the same time.
It is an extremely unpleasant sensation that, curiously, is maintained over time. It doesn’t matter if the plant is fresh or dry, it still causes the same pain. In fact, in an article for The Conversationshe says that, in her case, the most serious contact she had with the plant was precisely when she bent down to pick up her glove and accidentally touched a Dry leave.
What are the effects of Gympie-Gympie due to?
This plant contains a series of hairs at which end is a bulb composed of silica, calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate. It is like a kind of needle that, when penetrating the skin, decomposes, releasing neurotoxins responsible for this disproportionate stinging effect.
Lesions can be treated with a solution of diluted hydrochloric acid and one wax stripsuch as waxing, to remove the hairs. However, even so, the effects can last a long time.
Regarding the allergy experienced by Marina Hurley and many rural workersIt could be due to the inhalation of hairs that remain suspended in the air. However, this is something that has not been studied in depth.
At the moment, people who, for work, may be in contact with the plant, must use masks, gloves and all kinds of protective material to avoid this dangerous sting.
What is the most dangerous plant in the world?
Some media have echoed Emlyn-Jones’s audacity, assuring that the Gympie-Gympie is the most dangerous plant in the world. However, to know if they are right, we must first answer what do we consider dangerous.
If by dangerous we consider deadly for the human being, there are other plants much more dangerous. For example, the Belladonna (atropa belladonna) can cause death by ingesting just two of its small berries.
On the other hand, if we look at how painful it is to the touch, there are even more dangerous than the Gympie-Gympie. For example, the chamomile of death (hippomane mancinella), It is considered by the Guinness Book of Records as the most dangerous tree in the world.. And is not for less.
Contact of its sap with the skin can cause severe burns and, if it enters the eyes, it can cause blindness. Also, something as simple as being near the smoke resulting from their burning can also be very dangerous. For this reason, these trees are usually always accompanied by warning signs about their danger.
Now, in reality, if we stick to the deaths it causes per year, there is a plant that is much more dangerous than the camomile of death, the Gympie-Gympie or even the belladonna: the tobacco. The problem is that humans are so peculiar that this plant, accompanied by extremely dangerous substances, we consume it deliberately. There are no cages or warning signs there.