By: MEGAN TUCKER
Staff Writer
The suicide plant, also known as a Gympie Gympie, stinging brush, or moonlighter, is one of the world’s most dangerous plants. Scientifically named Dendrocnide moroides, the plant is made of stinging hairs that embed themselves in the skin of whoever comes into contact with it. However, it also sheds its hairs occasionally, so one can come into contact without touching the plant directly. The hairs deliver a neurotoxin that damages nerve tissues, as well. The pain from the stinging is known to be unbearable, and the effects can last for years. The needle-like hairs cannot be pulled out like a splinter, for they are too fine. They must be removed by hair removal methods such as waxing. The plant itself is native to the rainforests of northeast Australia. One of the more well-known tales of the plant is the horror story of a man that unknowingly used the leaves of the Gympie Gympie as toilet paper. He was in so much pain that he shot himself. Although the fruit of the plant is edible once the hairs are removed, it would be wise to just avoid the plant altogether.