Brave British gardener grows ‘world’s most dangerous plant’ in a CAGE in Oxford

A British man has grown the world’s most dangerous plant, known as the ‘suicide plant’, with a sting that feels like ‘burnt with hot acid and electrocuted at the same time’.

Daniel Emlyn-Jones, 49, decided to grow the gympie gym in his house — where he’s in a cage with a “danger” sign.

Dendrocnide Moroides – also known as the ‘Gympie-Gympie’ is capable of torturing its victims ‘for more than a year if the stinging hairs are not removed from the skin’ – in some cases even leading to suicide.

A man reportedly went mad from the excruciating pain after using the poisonous plant as toilet paper and shot himself.

Gympie-gympie, also known as the ‘Australian stinging tree’, is a nettle-like shrub known as the world’s most poisonous plant.

Daniel Emlyn-Jones, 49, decided to grow the gympie gym in his house – where he’s in a cage with a ‘danger’ sign

A man reportedly went mad from the excruciating pain after using the poisonous plant as toilet paper and shot himself

The gympie-gympie species is mostly restricted to the tropical rainforests of northeastern Australia.

Referred to as ‘ankle biters’, the shrub can grow up to 15 feet in height, but usually grows to about 3 feet tall.

It is said to be capable of causing a sting such as ‘being burned with hot acid and being electrocuted at the same time’.

Daniel, an online lecturer from Oxford, said he wants to promote interest in plants by cultivating a unique flora.

He said, ‘I don’t want to come like a madman. I do it very safely. Some botanical gardens have these plants as interesting specimens.’

WHAT IS THE GYMPY-GYMPY STYLE TREE?

The Gympie-Gympie is a type of Australian stinging tree that can grow up to 4-5 meters in height, but is usually found as a smaller shrub about 0.1-1 meters in height.

The ‘suicide plant’ is most commonly found in Gympie in southern Queensland as far as Cape York Peninsula.

The plants tend to grow in sunny areas protected from the wind, along the edges of streams, trails and paths through the forest.

What is the difference with other Australian stinging trees?

There are four common species of Australian stinging trees, two large rainforest trees that can grow up to 35 meters in height, the other small shrubby shrubs

The smaller species have a more painful venom and are responsible for most stings due to their size and accessibility

All four species have a stinging mechanism, but the Gympie-Gympie is considered the worst sting, similar to a scorpion or spider bite

The ‘suicide plant’ is the most poisonous of the six Australian species of stinging trees and one of the most poisonous plants in the country

How does it deliver its sting?

The poisonous nettle has tiny hairs that cover the entire plant and release a potent neurotoxin when touched.

The small bulb at the end of the stinging hairs breaks off and penetrates the skin to release a toxin, similar to that of a self-injecting hypodermic needle.

The tiny hairs can get trapped in the skin and cause excruciating pain in people for weeks and even months.

The injured area will be covered with small, red spots that come together to form a red, swollen border, in more severe cases a fluid will drip from the skin.

How can the sting be treated?

Experts say it’s important not to rub the affected area, as this can break the tiny hairs and make them difficult to remove.

After applying diluted hydrochloric acid to neutralize the plant’s peptide coating, wax strips can be used to remove the hairs.

How to reduce the risk of being stung?

Stay on the indicated path, wear closed shoes and long pants

Always carry a first aid kit with you when walking through the woods, complete with diluted hydrochloric acid, wax strips and latex gloves just in case

Source: National Geographic

Daniel, 49, said he grew the dangerous plant because he was “a little bored with geraniums” and wanted to add “a little excitement” to his otherwise somewhat boring gardening hobby.

He said, ‘I thought it would add a little drama to my gardening. You can get seeds on the internet, but you have to be careful it doesn’t spread from an enclosed area, so I keep it in my front room.

‘I got my seeds from a company in Australia, it cost about sixty Australian dollars, so it wasn’t cheap. However, I’ve always loved plants, I’m just a little bored with geraniums.

“After growing my bananas in the front yard, I thought the gympie-gympie plant would keep things interesting. I planted these in the spring so they now take a good few months to grow.

‘According to the internet, the Aboriginal people would have used it to treat arthritis. I’m not sure how true that is, or how that would work.’

The online tutor is no stranger to growing exotic plants – he has successfully grown bananas in his front yard in the past.

When asked if he had been stabbed yet, Daniel said he had been stabbed a few times with danger.

He said, “If you grab it, it’s probably not a good idea, but I got a little bit stung by the bit of fabric on the back of my heavy, elbow-length gloves and it wasn’t a big deal.

“I have 3% hydrochloric acid that you can soak the area for 15 minutes to reduce the sting. It was very light – it didn’t really bother me much to be honest.

“I’ll keep the cage locked, though, and I’ll keep the leaves away from the bars as if someone got too close and bumped into it, which would be rather risky.”

Gympie-gympie is a plant of the nettle family Urticaceae and is found in rainforest areas of Malaysia and Australia.

If touched for even a second, tiny hair-like needles will cause a burning sensation that will intensify over the next 20 to 30 minutes.

The pain can then last for weeks or even months, leaving patients unable to even sleep from the pain — and in some cases, suicidal.

Those stabbed by the bush describe the pain as the “worst kind imaginable.”

Victims of the plant have reported sneezing, developing allergies, developing massive red rashes and painfully swollen limbs.

While not always necessary, some cases have resorted to hospitalization due to their severity.

The plant – dendrocnide moroides – was discovered in its native Australia when a road steward’s horse was stung, went mad and “died within two hours” in 1866.

Another horror story told by World War II Australian soldier Cyril Bromley recalled falling into stinging nettles while exercising – driving him mad after weeks of pain and ineffective treatments.

Another allegedly shot himself after accidentally using the nettle as toilet paper.