Australia’s stinging trees, Dendrocnide moroides, has been known to cause nightmarish encounters, injecting a toxin into people when touched.
Here is all you need to know about the stinging tree:
They are found in the rain forest of eastern Australia;
The tree can grow up to 100 feet;
The sting from the trees last up to a number of days;
The trees’ toxins target a molecule, found on nerve cells, that is important to mammalian pain;
The minute pain causing molecules of the plant also called gympietides, bear a remarkable resemblance to toxins made by venomous spiders and cone snails, which use the chemicals to incapacitate their hapless prey;
The plant looks deceptively soft and furry, making you want to touch it.
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