Gympie Gympie Is Doing Everything It Can To Ruin Your Life

[@angelspitmusic]

I stood on one when I was a kid (Bunya Mountains). My leg went completely dead. Also, the sap from a Cunjevoi plant (Alocasia brisbanensis) *WILL* greatly reduce the pain. Cunjevoi also fixes stinging nettles, sunburn and mosquito bites. Cunjevoi is a miracle plant. Also, you can eat the berries from the Giant Stinging Tree (AKA Gympie Gympie) ...AND there's two species. Both are found at the Bunya Mountains. ....mate!

[@therealbushmanpat]

There are four species and the gympie gympie is not the giant! Atherton Tableland stinger (Dendrocnide cordata), which grows up to 4 metres high. Giant stinging tree (Dendrocnide excelsa), which grows up to 35 metres high. Gympie-gympie (Dendrocnide moroides), which grows up to 4 metres high. Shiny leaf stinging tree (Dendrocnide photinophylla), which grows up to 20 metres high. Cheers for the cunjevoi tip!

[@angelspitmusic]

@@therealbushmanpat thank you for this! Giant Stinging Tree is at the Bunya Mountains. I'm not sure what the other one is - but it has slightly rounder leaves...and they are soft to the touch (JUST KIDDING!!)

[@LukeBunyip]

When I lived in Nth Coast NSW, we'd use Cunjevoi if we ever brushed against a nettle Usually could find them growing near each other

[@michaelgusovsky]

great info!

[@angelspitmusic]

Luke! YES!! awesome, I also lived in Byron/Lismore for a few years (uni), @@LukeBunyip

[@casbot71]

As an Australian, we do take a perverse pride in all the venom and toxins floating around...

[@LittleBarracuda]

As you should, its so fascinating! The worst thing we have are nettles...

[@dracodracarys2339]

what if humans in australia were also venomous. pepper spray would be a thing of the past

[@casbot71]

​@dracodracarys2339 Just a reminder, Rupert Murdoch evolved in Australia and then invaded other ecosystems that weren't capable of withstanding his venom.

[@90klh]

I get it

[@chickenpants]

​@casbot71 I live in Queensland and he's invaded every single piece of print media in our state. He's probably more of a parasite that found a host here before moving to a bigger host.

[@TheSummoner]

What I personally find crazy is how innocuous and anonymous it looks as a plant, like it didn't even have to evolve a way to signal the danger it poses because it's just so conspicuous

[@macc.1132]

I think if you know what to look for, during daylight hours it's possible to explore the forest. I wouldn't go around aimlessly at night, though! It is pretty innocuous, yikes

[@90klh]

It said,just try using my leaf as toilet paper and see what happens

[@JustMe-vn5pq]

@@90klh I think that must be a myth. To use it as TP, you've first got to rip it off the plant. If that's the first step, you're not likely to take the second step of applying leaf to butt.

[@chrisjones6030]

​@@JustMe-vn5pqIt did happen. As she said, the leaves look plush, perfect for the use he intended. Calloused hand and fingers probably prevented immediate envenomation. Apparently an officer, so had a sidearm handy.

[@cedriceric9730]

​@@chrisjones6030😢

[@damonroberts7372]

Gympie-gympie is also a rapid coloniser. When storms bring down canopy-level trees in Queensland's coastal rainforests, gympie-gympie is one of the first things to grow in the clearing. At first it looks like a monoculture, and then slower-growing and shade-dependent rainforest species gradually take over. I saw _lots_ of them when I went hiking through Lamington National Park, and you can bet I kept my distance. Edit: Unlike Australia, people don't usually associate New Zealand with deadly wildlife. However, they have their own native stinger, _Urtica ferox._ It's basically a giant stinging nettle from Hell, and it _has_ been known to claim lives.

[@mortified776]

_Urtica ferox_ has to be the most intimidating scientific name a plant has ever been given!

[@weevil_bob]

Pioneer species. First step in rainforest ecological succession.

[@GcTheHardstyler]

​@mortified776 I have a few Aloe ferox because I thought the name was tough 😂 it's a tremendous plant too.

[@JustMe-vn5pq]

In the northwest of the US, there's a nasty plant called Devil's Club. It looks like the plant from hell, but that's why it isn't as bad as nettles -- because if you see it, you'll avoid anything that looks like that.

[@linkin0983]

Just saw what it was, and it looks like a plant from hell 🙃

[@weevil_bob]

Humans: "OMG worst plant ever!" Pademelons: "mmh tasty leaves"

[@mypal1990]

When a plant has a sting like a bullet ant shows how mother nature can be cruel.

[@RwnEsper]

Nature is never cruel, it just is! Humans (and maybe Orca) are the only species on Earth that could be considered "cruel."

[@AzraelIlluminati9]

If humans are also cruel to nature. Nature takes their revenge on humans and tastes their own medicine.

[@morphingfaces]

Interesting that various local animals seem to not be effected by it I thought devils club and poison oak was bad ouch

[@legoincplx4x5]

Mother nature isn't cruel she's far worse. Mother nature is indifferent.

[@williamcarter9066]

Nature is far from cure or even close to cure!!

[@carolynallisee2463]

I made a comment similar to this on another video about this notorious plant. It goes back a number of decades ( yes, decades, not years) when a well known naturalist encountered the plant whilst filming for a TV natural history series. He had just spoken about the plant's defences when he accidentally came into contact with it. There were a couple of seconds worth of bleeps as the unfortunate gentleman vented his feelings on being stung. About a year later, this same gentleman appeared on a teatime chat show to talk about a new TV series that was in production, and the prior incident was brought up, with a replay of the clip of him being stung. Having watched the clip he revealled he had spent months in agony from the sting, and that the area concerned was still numb a year after the injury occurred. This incident stuck in my mind for all those years for two reasons. One was that I was a child at the time, and impressionable, and the gentleman concerned had done a considerable amount of TV work for family audiences, and was careful in his use of language. So to hear him swearing, albeit carefully bleeped out, was quite startling, to say the least. The other reason was that he had been saying he would avoid the plant, so him getting stung immediately after this shows you must never let your guard down around Nature, especially after something like that!

[@michaelgusovsky]

which naturalist? which tv series? which teatime chat show? i'd like to look this up.

[@carolynallisee2463]

@@michaelgusovsky The gentleman I am referring to is called David Bellamy. And whilst I can no longer recall the name of his natural history programme, I believe the tea-time chat show was hosted by Terry Wogan. Please remember that I am dredging up memories that are decades old, and so may be blurred by time. What isn't affected was Mr Bellamy's interaction, and reaction, with the plant... and how startling it was!

[@LegoCookieDoggie]

So you can have a terrible day in Australia where you can get stung by a box jellyfish and then run into the forest to get stung by gympie

[@dracodracarys2339]

before being mauled by dingos

[@craigh5236]

@@dracodracarys2339 After being mauled by drop bears.

[@michaelmccoy1794]

​@@craigh5236😂

[@nepsyasudra3262]

​@@craigh5236 Crocodiles will soon follow

[@90klh]

While stepping on a stonefish on your way out or the ocean, then hit a gympie gympie, then faint from pain

[@GarrettPDGA]

Urticating hairs can be found on other creatures and insects, like tarantulas, so when I heard the latin for the Gympie Gympie, it made total sense. Urticating essentially means piercing and cause great pain or discomfort.

[@Wingedshadowwolf]

That was were my mine went when hearing that too!

[@venator-classstardestroyer568]

There is a plant genus called Urtica (for example Urtica dioica) which literally do that. Their "hairs" inject their "venom" upon touching them.

[@BraveWilderness]

Great video - you should go watch the episode I did on it last year - one of my top 3 most painful experiences! It was legit - 6 months of nerve damage! Oh and way worse than a bullet ant… initial impact is on par with a giant hornet sting.

[@andrea_7194]

of course you tried it 😂 glad it's over

[@benjaminhlophe]

The sting man himself 😂😂😂I was wondering if you have not been stung by this one! Case settled!😂😂😂

[@rbfndz]

Yo the man himself

[@healgoth]

Video was uploaded 4 months ago… I hope you aren’t still feeling it 😭

[@coolhandluke1503]

I'm about too, its at the top of the playlist, just reading comments first👍

[@t0mn8r35]

I live in Australia (the beautiful country) and we have some friends in Queensland. On one of our visits there we went for a walk in the beautiful rainforest and we saw that the Rangers had spray painted these nasty plants with organic glowing paints to make sure everyone stayed away from them. One of our friends had touched one of these plants *30* years ago and it was still painful and visible to that day. This plant is not a joke.

[@UsefulRevolution]

Yooo, as an Aussie who loves to go bushwalking…I was wondering how the locals would be dealing with this. That’s actually really genius!

[@jak0x622]

​@@UsefulRevolution depends on how heavily trafficked the area is, the hikes i go on in the Lamington National Park never have them marked so im always on the lookout

[@coyotelong4349]

The scariest thing about this plant is how normal it appears It doesn’t LOOK like you’d expect it to, with bright warning colors or a threatening shape

[@tonydeluna8095]

I love your plants in the background! They look safe 😅!

[@lucretius8050]

Can't wait for Tiktok challenges of this, would clean up the social media in one go.

[@AAARREUUUGHHHH]

I'd love to see that lol

[@xKingx16]

@@AAARREUUUGHHHH .....weird place for ones mind to go, weird thing to agree with.

[@AAARREUUUGHHHH]

@@xKingx16 I'm a weird guy. Part of my brain says it can't be that bad, touch the gympie gympie

[@Morales-nt6vi]

That would definitely weed out the stupids. 🤣

[@jasond7229]

😂🎉😂😂😂

[@DaveTexas]

That plant is terrifying! I’ve had run-ins with stinging nettles, which were bad enough. I can’t imagine pain way worse than that which never goes away…

[@aquaabouttogetfunky]

Ah yes, another thing to add to my “why I am not visiting Australia” list.

[@henkbarnard1553]

same

[@alicecain4851]

Another same.

[@damonroberts7372]

Every country has its wild terrors. We don't have grizzly bears, or any native big cats.

[@sizanogreen9900]

List? Isn't it a book by now?

[@nckojita]

@@damonroberts7372 my problem w australia is moreso all the deadly venoms than anything else tbh. like it just seems so unnecessary lol island evolution is truly insane

[@idraote]

Australia never disappoints...

[@Zuginator]

I have cluster migraines (nicknamed Suicide Migraines) and the description of "Pain without cause, agony with no damage" describes it so well.

[@bernadettemarietavendale7055]

As an Australian Citizen I can confirm that it's legitimately scary here with our animals, plants & insects trying to kill you! 🇦🇺

[@Rek2Chi]

Sounds like Hunger Games Island over there 😱

[@kevinsutton4966]

And the weather as well. My mate in Brisbane almost got killed in a lightning strike... Crikey!

[@bernadettemarietavendale7055]

Oh I forgot to mention the sea life 🦈

[@ellieban]

Don’t forget the snails. Australia has deadly water snails.

[@tikasatam]

it's literally dark continent

[@adrianpintea9675]

The toilet paper anecdote is probably false. The video said the pain is instantaneous and people seldom wear gloves when they shit.

[@alicecain4851]

I hope so. I've heard it more than once.

[@therealbushmanpat]

I thought the same thing. Maybe he took a squat over one and brushed it and the story evolved over time.

[@djfoobarmatt]

I’ve always wondered about that. I grew up in Cairns in the 80s hearing that story.

[@chrisjones6030]

Calloused hands would prevent being stung just long enough. Can't remember where, but once read an article that actually named the soldier, stating he was an officer, so carried a pistol.

[@myboysd5772]

Wtf this person has never heard of pooping gloves? Lmaoo how uncivilized

[@jusakikun]

In my country, Colombia, we have a similar plant (Urera Baccifera - not as severe as this one) we call it "pringamosa". It does not make you suicidal, but it is said that mothers use it to discipline children given the umpleasant symptoms when getting in contact with the plant. I would like to see a video on "manzanilla de la muerte". Love your videos.

[@igostupidfast3]

they did

[@kab6754]

Just when I think Australia's ecology couldn't get more sadistic

[@nderitos]

Ah yes. I haven't had the displeasure of experiencing the Australian version, but I have some unfortunate experiences with the African Urtica massaica when I went there as a child. It was truly awful, but many people do use it as a food/medicine after boiling it. I wonder if any native people do the same with this hellish plants there.

[@Oldtanktapper]

Proud to live near the town of Gympie, these plants are pretty common all through SE Queensland, mostly in areas of remnant rainforest and bush land. They love freshly cleared patches in rainforest in particular. They really don’t look like a threat to the unsuspecting, but that cute looking fuzz all over them ain’t there for decoration!

[@allisonbergh4429]

As a recent immigrant to Australia, I love my adopted country😆😆😆 Edit: As I commented on the other Gympie Gympie post, be careful if you go wandering around Binna Burra lodge. It’s a beautiful area, but there are Gympie Gympies growing quite close to the paths (we only noticed because my husband is a biologist 😅). There first thing I taught my kid when we moved to Australia was to not touch ANYTHING unless told it was safe 😆

[@aarons6935]

Leave, we're full. Immigration is getting halved by the Australian government finally.

[@UsefulRevolution]

@@aarons6935why don’t you leave then?

[@allisonbergh4429]

@@aarons6935My Australian husband would probably object 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@taurean6456]

Man am I even more grateful of where I live. Even though I don't particularly like where I live, at least I'm nowhere near that plant.

[@jamie7472]

It's not that bad over here. The biggest issue I've had here in 15 years is giant spiders getting in my room. I mean I seen some whoppers. 20cm +. But they not dangerous.

[@Eloraurora]

I looked, the pademelons are doing okay. Mostly not threatened, only judged vulnerable over part of their range. And one subspecies carries the moniker _stigmatica,_ which is pretty dramatic for such fuzzy little guys.

[@chrisjones6030]

I live on a creek in the Atherton Tablelands, however because all my surrounding neighbours have dogs, the pademelons treat my place as a refuge. So while I keep an eye open, I am yet to see a Gympie Gympie on the block.

[@murkyseb]

It’s surprising how often I’ve come across this plant when out filming qlds underwater wildlife for my documentaries on them. There’s also a few plants that looks really similar, needless to say I’m very careful not to go anywhere near them

[@LynHannan]

The most informative short video I've seen on this topic, Thank you

[@yureituesday]

Dear editor: you never go “full vomit” no one wants to see that

[@Strype13]

Yeah, that was awfully unexpected, and I was in the middle of eating. Not cool.

[@PriestessShizuka]

Yeah, I have severe emetophobia so being shown these sorts of things without warning is extremely bad.

[@waxwinged_hound]

I'm going to need several hours to recover from that. The first sound effect frightened me but then I thought it was over... no. No it wasn't. Then again my emetophobia is so severe that I almost never eat out and my hands have chronic crocodile skin from constant washing, so... maybe that's just my problem.

[@rourou1589]

We also have this kind of plants in the Philippines we call it in our place “alingatong” the only way to at least ease the pain is you need to get some root of the plant and rub it directly to the affected area,normally the pain will stay a month.

[@barbietrink4984]

I went on several nature hikes in the northeastern rainforests of Australia. The hikes educationed us about all the dangerous animals and plants, but also all the delicious 😋 fruits and beautiful animals.

[@MisterCynic18]

Looking forward to more guest appearances from the authentic australian

[@zielo_]

I planted gympie-gympie seeds. Now my little plants are about 4cm tall. I have 6 of them and they are all doing great on the windowsill :) I'm waiting for them to grow up and have fruits. Most likely, when repotting or any other activity I will touch one of the plants. I will let you know :)

[@SofiThePyro]

I'm so glad you guys did a video on gympie gympie! Definitely a weird point of pride to have the most venomous plant along with all our other painful things haha - thankyou!

[@TheAtHamptonDotCom]

This plant is a cognitohazard as well; it hurts to think about.

[@laurafabianmarrero]

Off course is from Australia 😂😂😂

[@dracodracarys2339]

honestly with all the horrors of australia the dingo is kind of a letdown. you'd expect it to at least be venomous or reproduce parasitically

[@iffracem]

Everyone is so scared about our allegedly dangerous wildlife.. But our largest land based predator is just a relatively timid medium sized canine. No bears, (native) cats like cougars or tigers etc. Everything that can hurt you tends to move in the opposite direction fairly quickly (except the crocodiles and sharks... they think you're tasty)

[@DJFracus]

Dingoes came from dogs introduced by humans to Australia thousands of years ago. So you could argue they're not truly native to Australia.

[@BlueSpiritFire1]

​@@DJFracus Technically anything introduced before white settlers is considered native, so dingos, while not as ancient as say....idk, a kangaroo, is still a native animal. iirc they were introduced 4000 or so years ago by Aboriginal people.

[@cedriceric9730]

​@@iffracemoh how comforting tiger vs shark

[@tetravega567]

@@cedriceric9730 Wasn't so much vs, and now we have Tiger Sharks

[@EwanLeask]

One minor corrections, the hairs are made of silica, not silicon, they are basically glass, which is part of the reason they are able to be so sharp to begin with.

[@Termini_Man]

silica is made of silicon. silica is the compound silicon dioxide, and has a molecular formula of SiO2. So saying it is made of silicon is not that strange.

[@EwanLeask]

@@Termini_Man it’s not strange, just technically off slightly, as the final form is just more accurate as the substances themselves do work in its own manure, so yes, correct, however, biologically, that stuff typically comes out in the silica form. I have Asperger’s, I’m just literal that way. Lmao

[@EwanLeask]

@@Termini_Man kinda like, we don’t look at glass itself and call that either silica or silicone, we typically lean into the final form.

[@tetravega567]

@@EwanLeask What, you don't go to the hardware/reno store and ask for plates of clear sand?

[@touremuhammad5983]

Casual Geographic says, “Moral of this video: Australia is just Satan’s Jungle Gym.”

[@Eric19401]

This is the most horrifying example of Australian flora or fauna I've yet encountered. Evolutionarily speaking, Australia is an incredible place.

[@JakeSmith-ps4vr]

I fell into some giant hogweed a few years ago. My arms and legs felt like I had blistering sunburn for like 2 months. I don't want to imagine what this is like...

[@laurieb3703]

I'm assuming you're in the US? Cuz we have that here. I'm not sure if it grows elsewhere. Anyway I saw a humongous one at a creek last summer! I gave it a huge berth and reported it. I was scared to death lol

[@evilsharkey8954]

Gympie gympie is more like a stinging nettle on super soldier serum. The pain is immediate and not sun activated like hogweed juice

[@agerven]

The giant hogweed has been banned, completely eradicated from the Netherlands, which i think is kind of sad since it is a miraculous fast growing plant. i would have liked to give it a try, since i am immune to common nettles.

[@evilsharkey8954]

@@agerven Giant hogweed is a ferociously invasive plant. It devastates wild ecosystems. The phytophotodermatitis is just the bad part for humans. It’s not an allergic reaction, like poison ivy, or a venom, like with nettles. Its juices cause severe burns on the skin when exposed to sunlight. That’s why people are supposed to wear long sleeves and hats when removing it. The effect requires sunlight, and not necessarily a lot of it. Just look up pictures of hogweed rash. It’s not something anyone should mess around with.

[@ErgonBill]

Was stung while bushwalking years ago, but fortunately the pain subsided after a day or two. To this day I still remember the quality of pain. So immediate and so intense, like no other pain ever experienced. Nasty.

[@curtvona4891]

I love your voice, Tasha! ❤

[@bebe-vl5bx]

I'm surprised you haven't mentioned the Cunjevoi. Cunjevoi seems to grow as a companion plant to Gympie-Gympie. The sap of the cunjevoi is an antedote to the poison of Gympie-Gympie and the relief once it is applied to the stung area is almost immediate. As a child I was stung by Gympie-Gympie and it took about a month for the pain to subside. I became terrified of this plant and was always amazed how you could be walking near a rainforest creek and suddenly find yourself surrounded by Gympie-Gympie. But always near to Gympie-Gympie is Cunjevoi. You break off a stem and apply the sap to the sting area. The pain relief happened for me within a few minutes. Absolutely amazing!

[@SAOS451316]

The toilet paper story is considered apocryphal and probably created just for the schadenfreude.

[@Lilmangamer710]

“Damn Mother Nature 🌬️ you scary.” 😂

[@keithwagg4112]

When camping as a kid I jumped out of a tree and one brushed my hand. I had like painful red hive like bumps like there for months after. Like the red bump stayed there too. My grandad was in WWII and had done jungle training, after I got stung he told us that exact same story about the soldier too.

[@mrexists5400]

Only plant I fear being near more is the Manchineel. Just touching it can cause blistering.

[@Tybold63]

Looked it up and recall I seen videos about it - and yes that seems to be an even fatal tree/bush!😵

[@Nikki0417]

I knew Australia had at least one plant that could affect people just standing near it for too long but couldn't remember its name. But are we just gonna ignore the dude who was ready to box a kangaroo to protect his dog?

[@stanleyhape8427]

IKR!! That was crazy.

[@madarab37]

Tasha...I feel you are my spirit animal for all the things I learn about crazy plants.

[@edmondo1535]

Got stung on the arm, leg, foot and hand in the Atherton Tablelands outside of Cairns. Hurt like I was being electrocuted and burnt with hot acid. Lasted for about 5 months. Every time I had a shower the pain would return. When I rolled over in bed I got woken by the red hot barbed wire scraping across my skin. The Murri Aboriginal Rangers from the Bunya Mountains once told me that the sap from the Cunjevoi plant will neutralise the pain, and that they used to use the leaves as a dissociative therapy for setting broken bones. I have since been stung again and found that the 70%+ ethanol hand sanitizer we were all using during lockdowns (and probably should still be using) also neutralised the effects after a couple of days… MATE!!!

[@Wesz808]

I'm from the Netherlands we literally have the game settings on 'very easy' while Australia has the settings on insane. Not only animals kill you, snails kill you, plants kill you, insects kill you. And they still call everybody 'mate'

[@gwenrrm]

The hairs are called 'trichomes' and are not made of silicon, but rather silicon dioxide (silica) which is basically glass :3

[@441rider]

I bet they then smoke like the old menthol ciggs too! LOL!

[@iaindavis4417]

I'll never complain about stinging nettle ever again

[@Nefville]

Australia. Its always Australia! Like putting Vegemite on toast with butter! 2:38

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

Maybe the caterpillars are not immune, but just in constant agony.

[@nabra97]

I can't really understand why skin grafts can't help with it. I mean, if it will never resolve itself, it probably should be worth it...

[@90klh]

It can last that long but often resolves within a year- if it were me and we rolled on year two and I'm still getting bullet ant stings, than I'm right with you, fillet whatever bit got affected

[@JustMe-vn5pq]

@@90klh From what I've seen on videos, after a few months the only time you'll activate the pain is through hot or cold water. And even that will be virtually gone in a year.

[@cyrilio]

What a crazy plant.

[@sassa82]

The little apple of death has a competitor.

[@psychofmusic9303]

Interaction with Gympie-gympie Humans: Intense hell-like pain Red-Legged Pademelon: Hmm... Lunch

[@unusualyou00]

How wonderful that I never go hiking, especially in Australia 🥰

[@firstnamelastname9918]

OK, so Texas bullnettle (Cnidoscolus Texanus) isn't NEARLY as drastic, but it's got a fun twist because the nuts are DELICIOUS!!! OMG. I never knew to pick them early and let them ripen in a sack, I always checked them every day and to see if they were ready yet. Fierce competition in the wild, as if you wait too long, the birds get them all -- at least that's what I had thought, maybe it's something else. When you touch them, if feels very much like fire ant stings, but it only lasts a few hours at the worst.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

I do kind of like having an entire planet between me and this plant.

[@rhyothemisprinceps1617]

One scientific paper suggested the mechanism of gympetides might be similar to those of inherited erythromelalgia (IEM) and paroxysmal extreme pain disorder (PEPD) (both are due to differences in the function of a particular ion channel in nerve cells (Nav1.7)). I have chronic pain problems and also acquired erythromelalgia; they are mostly under control now. Low dose naltrexone has helped, but it takes a long time to work.

[@rhyothemisprinceps1617]

Given the mechanism of action, topical magnesium chloride solution (aka 'magnesium oil') might be helpful for longer-term treatment of gympie gympie exposure ( after the waxing and other treatments have been tried). Also oral low dose naltrexone.

[@karmaruki6618]

About a decade ago I was walking beside some river in a park and saw a curiously fuzzy plant in the bush, so I pinched it between my thumb and index finger... The pain is really like being electrocuted or burnt in the area, like a very very intense sichuan pepper if you've ever had it. Thankfully it only lasted a few months and slowly turned from actively hurting to only hurt when pressure was applied. Motif of the experience is don't touch random shit in Australian bushes 👍

[@marcomlott9099]

I loved the outtake at the end.

[@ronhuff9219]

Loved the video, thank you

[@MarkKravchuk]

I was stung too many times by the urtica dioica or the common stinging nettle but it actually has some positive effects even though very painful. Nettles are pretty rare in america but they are common in ukraine which is where i lived.

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

We have stinging nettles in Canada! I've seen them on walks before, I want to forage for them eventually someday

[@childofcascadia]

"Stinging nettles are rare in America"?? Uh, what part? Where I live in the pacific northwest they are *everywhere*. As in "dont walk in wooded areas at night or you *will* blunder into them. They are in the cities. They are in the forest. They are a weed thats *everywhere*. I had the misfortune of blundering into them wearing a knee length skirt once while camping and looking for a place to pee at night. It wasnt fun. They do go away and dont last like the gympie gympie, but for about a day its going to feel like you have a million splinters under your skin and get covered in tiny itchy dots.

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@childofcascadia I think you're talking about urtica gracilis (American stinging nettle) which only has the stinging hairs on the underside of the leaves while the rest of the hairs are puberulent or don't sting. if so, yeah if you're not careful the stinging can be pretty awful, Id just not touch them without work gloves. Though they make up for it with their positive and therapeutic benefits like being used to treat rheumatism, the Ainu of Hokkaido and Sakhalin have also used nettles as textile fibres to make clothes. indigenous peoples have been using them since time immemorial. I personally wouldn't call it a weed as the gracilis species is native to North America, but you could argue things like forget me nots could be considered "weeds" (and some people do, sadly...). Like Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "what is a weed? A plant who's virtues have never been discovered."

[@MarkKravchuk]

I lived in northern Ohio and have seen stinging nettles maybe twice. I've seen some sleeping nettles but never stinging ones.

[@evilsharkey8954]

Rare? I live in Wisconsin, and there are assorted nettle species everywhere. The mature plants just feel like a light sting, like a moon jellyfish. When they’re young, they pack a punch! I accidentally grabbed one when I was slipping on some mud. After the pain subsided, I felt like a had a drop of warm water running up and down the outside of my finger. It was weird.

[@djfoobarmatt]

I touched one briefly with the back of my hand once just to see how bad it really was. It burned like hell. I tried using packing tape to rip the hairs out but it still burned for several days.

[@oORaaA338]

Incredible ! I never knew about this plant 😮

[@jadedrealist]

Now I want to grow them in a moat around my house. Lol.

[@KingOfGamesss]

I walked into it once when I was a young kid...I didn't even know it existed and it shocked me the pain...luckily I think it only lasted for half a Day or more

[@mike79patton]

I fortunately have not had a run in with gympie gympie, however i have been stung by a tarantula hawk wasp. That was profound, exquisite, instantaneous overwhelming pain. I very nearly passed out. I though i was going to die.

[@teejay6063]

Tasha the Amazon. What a talented person.

[@theunknownunknowns256]

The Coriaria arborea (tutu) is pretty nasty, the shoots look like a eatable vine and the tutu has berries that look ok to eat. But it will all kill you for sure.

[@ProfessionalBugLover]

this plant gives a new meaning to stunningly beautiful

[@KissyKat]

I can't believe all the testimonials you've got from australia. Like, Really can't believe it😂

[@Stardustgirl123]

I want none of this pain.

[@gamegod6859]

ah yes, the plant so painful that people have killed themselves

[@Robbnlinzi]

A plant that is so Australian that I am surprised I did not see veggiemite all over the leaf

[@LazzyDoo]

Bit of a shame, those berries look delicious!

[@Nx2.1]

Gympie Gympie bestows telepathy on her recipients.

[@HerebutNot]

That’s why I live in Canada 😅

[@OnyxLynx6]

Brushing against a gympy gympy with your leg makes you limpy limpy

[@The-three-eyed-Prophet]

I Love Botanics but there are some plants even I Would never put in a Botanic Garden ...

[@nathanc6516]

I heard about this plant on field exercise training in the Army during Basic Training from a PV2. The wives tale is that a Soldier in Australia used it to wipe after digging a hole and relieving himself and the pain was so great he immediately used his own rifle to kill himself. He was telling it to me while I was digging my own latrine hole in the woods, as a warning not to wipe with poison ivy or something else poisonous. We had TP though, so I just laughed.

[@iffracem]

Just one of the reasons I always wear long sleeve shirts and pants when frolicking in the Australian bush.

[@jamesbullo]

Lol 😂 authentic ending for sure!

[@joshuaokoro-sokoh2993]

Well Done Australia, you have royally outdone yourself, just when you think you couldn't get any worse than the most venomous snake, animal, or most dangerous bird, or a duck-beaver whose venom-induced pain is immune to morphine.

[@jotdog9357]

I live in QLD where this plant is from - you know the really cool thing? After learning what it looks like, you see it *everywhere* on hikes around SE QLD - sometimes there'll be stretches of a few metres you have to walk past (and sometimes under!). Thankfully both it & the closely related Giant Stinging Tree stick out like a sore thumb from the other rainforest plants though, so your eye gets pretty good & spotting it in advance after some near-misses 👀

[@jackvenables4981]

They are also called happy moment trees. Was stung a few months ago and it left a very red burning rash on my arm.

[@The-three-eyed-Prophet]

the reason the gimpy gimpy can take over is more or less because its like the european stinging netle ( They are related) Those plants will completly take over under the right conditions ... #FunFact plants like the european stinging nettle / Plants of the same family get bigger and meaner the further you go south / towards warmer or tropic climate ,the european sting nettle is like a single anoying plant that grows in clusters but you go to places with hoter or more humid climate and the plants of this family will growe like a bush and if you go even further the plants of this species will basicaly be like trees ...

[@AussieMacroPhotos]

Great video. Just one thing though... it's better to Wax first... you can use wax strips, sticky tape or gaffa tape. Then use the Hydrochloric acid. You do this by diluting 1 part into 10 parts of water. then getting a cotton wipe with the liquid and placing it on the area stung, leave for 20 minutes. you can repeat this again 24 hours later if needed. Yep been stung twice! It's very bad. Once stung, that's your day done until you get the treatment. But yes I had the needles stuck in my leg for about a year. Not fun!

[@CadianColors]

When I'm old and gray, this will be one of the very last things I cross of my bucket list.

[@sc705]

That'll inject some energy into your frail body!

[@jaimiesjourneys3044]

I think we have something very similar in Puerto Rico. I remember seeing it on a family reunion in the mother island. The reactions are so similar it’s uncanny.

[@nosferatadentata965]

can't decide which plant is more evil: Gympie-gympie or Giant Hogweed...

[@GMT439]

Proof of 'Years of Pain' Required. All Mockery is noted.

[@dave23024]

I've seen the videos of people playing around with the stinging nettles. I couldn't imagine how bad this one must be!

[@tsukuyomirai5264]

I once hid on a stinging nettle bush when we were playing hide and seek. It was dusk and I didn't notice it😂.