A British botanist, researcher and an online tutor, 49-year-old Daniel Emlyn-Jones, has grown the ‘world’s most dangerous plant’ in his home in a cage marked with a ‘danger’ sign. It is said to be is capable of delivering a sting like ‘being burnt with hot acid and electrocuted at the same time’.
The venomous plant named 'Gympie-gympie' stings so bad it can lead to months of pain leaving patients unable to sleep. In some cases, the intense pain can lead to suicide.
A Twitter user posted a picture of this plant with caption, "Gympie-Gympie is known as the world’s most venomous plant. Found in Australian rainforests, it is also known as the stinging tree, or technically Dendrocnide moroides. It’s sting is described as like being burnt with hot acid and electrocuted, and it’s effect can last for month."
And another tweet showing Daniel Emlyn-Jones, holding the venomous plant.
Take a look:
Daniel told a British online newspaper, Independent that he wants to promote an interest in plants by cultivating unique flora and some botanic gardens have these plants as interesting specimens.
He told Metro, another British online newspaper : "I just thought it would add a bit of drama to my gardening. You can get seeds on the internet, you have to be careful it doesn’t spread out of a contained area though, so I keep it potted in my front room.
Daniel added, "I got my seeds from a company in Australia, it cost something like sixty Australian dollars, so it wasn’t cheap. I have always liked plants though, I just have got a bit bored with geraniums."
He told that he had been slightly stung by it through the fabric bit on the back of my heavy duty elbow length gloves and that wasn’t awful.
The botanist, "I’ve got 3% hydrochloric acid which you can soak the area with for 15 minutes to lessen the sting. "I do keep the cage locked though, and I keep the leaves away from the bars as if someone came too close and brushed against it that’d be quite risky."
Gympie-gympie plant, is a shrub also known as the ‘Australian stinging tree'. The plant is native to rainforest areas of Australasia. Scientifically, known as Dendrocnide moroides was discovered in Australia when a road surveyor’s horse was stung, went mad and died within two hours in 1866.
