Gympie gympie Facts for Kids

The gympie gympie (scientific name: Dendrocnide moroides) is a very special and somewhat scary plant. It's also known as the gympie stinger. You can find it growing in rainforest areas in northeastern Australia and also in Indonesia. This plant is famous for its tiny, stinging hairs that cover its entire body. If you touch them, they deliver a powerful neurotoxin, which is a type of poison that affects nerves.

Dendrocnide moroides, the gympie gympie

The gympie gympie is considered the most toxic of Australia's stinging trees. When you touch its hairs, a small bulb at the tip breaks off. This bulb then injects the toxin into your skin. Even though the plant is very dangerous, its fruit can be eaten. But first, all the stinging hairs that cover the fruit must be carefully removed.

The Painful Sting
Animals and the Gympie Gympie
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The Painful Sting

The sting from a gympie gympie plant is incredibly painful. People who have been stung describe it as one of the worst pains they have ever felt.

Ernie Rider, who was stung badly in 1963, shared his experience:

For two or three days the pain was almost unbearable; I couldn’t work or sleep, then it was pretty bad pain for another fortnight or so. The stinging persisted for two years and recurred every time I had a cold shower. ... There's nothing to rival it; it's ten times worse than anything else.

This shows how long-lasting and severe the pain can be. It's important to be very careful around this plant.

Animals and the Gympie Gympie

Even though the gympie gympie has a very strong sting, some animals can eat its leaves without getting hurt. Several small marsupial species, like the red-legged pademelon, can munch on the leaves. Some insects, such as Prasyptera mastersi, and even certain birds also eat parts of the plant. Scientists are still studying how these animals manage to avoid the painful sting.