Poisons Information Centre

• Home
• About us
• First aid
• Poisoning
• Poisoning prevention
  • Animals and other creatures
  • Plants and mushrooms (fungi)
  • Medicines
  • Other Poisons
• Bites and stings
  • General first aid
  • Pressure immobilisation technique
  • Spiders
  • Snakes
  • Insects
  • Ticks
  • Marine creatures
  • Other venomous / poisonous creatures
• Plants and mushrooms (fungi)
  • Browse by common name
  • Browse by botanical name
  • Browse by photo
  • Basic first aid
  • Key symbols
  • Rationale
  • References used
• This seasons dangers
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter
• Tour a house
• For Health Professionals
• Pamphlets and stickers
• Links

Plants and mushrooms

Stinging trees

Common name		Stinging tree
Botanical name		Dendrocnide excelsa, (also known as Laportea gigas), Dendrocnide moroides, (also known as Laportea moroides).
Other common names		Giant stinging tree, Fibrewood, Gympie, Gimpie-gimpie
Family		Urticaceae
General description		These species are common in Queensland rainforests especially on the edges or in disturbed areas. The two species are similar, but can be distinguished by the leaf stalk, which is attached at the margin of the leaf in giant stinging tree (Dendrocnide excelsa), while in the stinging tree or Gimpie-gimpie (Dendrocnide moroides), the leaf stalk is attached some distance from the margin.
Flowers		The flowers are very small and held in open bunches in the forks of the leaves.
Leaves		The leaves are quite conspicuous, very large, broadly ovate, pale green, hairy and often heavily chewed by insects. The young leaves have more stinging hairs than mature ones.
Fruit/Berries		The fruit is small, nut like and borne on fleshy stalks.
Other		The sap is clear, stinging hairs are present.
Symptoms		Contact with the leaves or twigs causes the hollow silica-tipped hairs to penetrate the skin, causing a severe stinging or sharp tingling sensation which can last for days or even months. Pain may also be referred to other areas of the body. The injured area becomes covered with small red spots joining together to form a red, swollen mass. The affected area can remain intermittently sensitive for a long period of time. It may be possible to remove the hairs by applying sticking plaster and pulling it off, or using a warm depilatory wax.
Toxicity category		2, 3
Warning		-