Australian nettle Gympie-Gympie, can drive a person to suicide

We know that everything in Australia is trying to kill a man. Green continent abounds crawling, jumping, running and swimming creatures capable in time to send to the light. Not better things in the world of plants, and to seriously hurt you don't even have to eat the fruit or drink the juice, and just touch the leaves. Plant Dendrocnide moroides that locals call the Gympie-Gympie is one of the most dangerous representatives of the Australian flora are able to drive you crazy and bring the person to suicide.

Gympie-Gympie, or stinging tree is a large shrub of the Nettle family (Urticaceae). It turns out that this plant is related to our nettle and that touching it causes a burn, should not surprise anyone. But nettle nettle strife, and impressions from contact with this Bush may be the most unpleasant in life.

It's hard to say who and why decided to call this plant is stinging tree, perhaps, it was done out of respect for his capabilities. Gympie-Gympie is a stalk 1-2 meters high with large, heart-shaped leaves the size of 18-20 see the Fruit of this monster green world similar to the fruit of the mulberry tree, but, of course, inedible.

This plant-pioneer, first appearing there, where he was a wildfire or were cut down. For reproduction he doesn't need a pair is a monoecious plant which has male flowers are surrounded by women. That is why the stinging tree appears out of nowhere and covers a large area.

Touching Gympie-Gympie will have a very unpleasant surprise. The area of skin in contact with the leaves of the plant, covered with red spots, gradually turning into one big lump. But believe me, cosmetic defect care less sacrifice of biting wood, as the burn causes unbearable pain.

Those who were lucky enough to experience the effect of the plant on themselves describe this feeling as a mixture of a burn from a concentrated acid with electrical discharges. This pain not only fades with time, but, on the contrary, growing every minute and acquires new shades. This is Symphony of pain from a few days to a month, to alleviate the suffering is not always possible, even strong painkillers.

Victims of the Gympie-Gympie say that after a few days of suffering, they started to think about suicide, unable to bear and the burning sensation. Only one known case where a person died directly from the burns stinging tree, but the statistics on suicide are not maintained. But the man of the plant is dangerous for horses, dogs and cats, these animals die from burns every year tens.

Biologist Irina Vetter (Irina Vetter), many years researched Dendrocnide moroides, said that the plant burns as well as nettle, using a tiny needle with poison – trichomes. They cover the leaves and stems of a solid layer, leaving anyone who touches a chance.

Trichome Gympie-Gympie acts as a tiny syringe, inserting in the thickness of the skin hellish mixture of formic acid and newly discovered group of neurotoxins genetico. Another interesting fact is that the leaves retain their hazardous properties, even when it dries. Many people believe that dry plants safe and very bitterly regret his carelessness.

But there are in Australia and creatures that transcend the burning poison Gympie-Gympie. It's red juicy fruits they feed on several species of marsupials, some rodents, birds and insects. Obviously, they have immunity to attacks miniature pressed plants.

For scientists, common in Australia, a poisonous plant is a real gem. Looking at its toxin – ginated, they expect to find not only a remedy for burns stinging tree but also means of many other animal and vegetable poisons with a similar effect. Possible Gympie-Gympie will help you to create, finally, the antidote from the venom of the box jellyfish, annually killing swimmers off the coast of Australia and New Guinea.