The world’s most poisonous plant has driven people to suicide – like the man who accidentally used the leaves as toilet paper and shot himself

Don’t put your thumb on this green.

Many gardeners may not be aware of the deadly plant thought to be the most toxic in the world called Gympie-Gympie.

The foul green has tiny hair-like needles full of poison and has a sting so painful it has driven some people to consider suicide, The Mirror reported.

The excruciating sensation of coming into contact with the Gympie-Gympie’s hair, which can grow up to 32 metres, feels like an electric shock and a burn – a sensation that can last for weeks, or even months.

In some extreme cases, the constant pain has caused sufferers to take their own lives.

Originally from Australia, the deadly effects of the plant were discovered in 1866 after a road surveyor’s horse suffered a fatal bite.

Another horrific case was documented when an Australian soldier endured weeks of ineffective treatments after a painful encounter with needles during World War II. The soldier eventually succumbed to insanity.

Another reported incident involved a person who used the leaves as toilet paper, not realizing what plant he was taking. This event is supposed to have prompted him to shoot himself.

The Australian stinging tree, named Dendrocnide moroides by scientists, was put on public display at a botanic garden in the UK last year.

Due to the high-risk nature of the plant, it is kept behind safety glass and cared for only by a designated gardener.

But the Gympie-Gympie isn’t the only dangerous flower in the mix, as visitors can find over 100 species of dangerous and intoxicating plants in the Poison Garden, one of the most fascinating aspects of a visit to Alnwick Gardens, located in Northumberland. .

John Knox, Alnwick’s main tour guide, gave the resource a further insight into the plants.

“The plant usually flowers and produces its fruit when it is less than three meters tall and can reach up to 10 meters in height,” explained Knox. “The stem, branches, leaves, leaves and fruit are all covered with stinging hairs and should not be touched.”

The expert also had a stern warning for the humiliated vegetation: “The tiny fragile hairs, known as trichomes, are loaded with toxins all over the plant and if touched, stay on the skin for up to a year. And release the toxin cocktail in the body during triggering events such as touching the affected area, contact with water or temperature changes.

In 2022, Daniel Emlyn-Jones, 49, grew Gympie-Gympie at home, keeping the plant in a secure enclosure with a warning sign. Emlyn-Jones said she wanted to spark curiosity about unusual farming.

He told The Mirror: “I don’t want to come across as weird. I am making it very safe. Some botanical gardens have these plants as interesting specimens.”

As it turns out, Gympie-Gympie isn’t the only piece of green to look after.

In October, a poisonous plant called baneberry began prompting warnings from park rangers, who are urging the public not to consume the toxic plant.

“Is that plant looking at me?” The National Park Service wrote on Facebook at the time alongside a photo of a white blackberry plant whose fruit resemble eyeballs.

“Actaea pachypoda, white doll’s eye or doll’s eye, is a species of flowering plant in the Ranunculaceae family,” the agency explained.

“The most striking feature of the plant is its fruit, a red berry 1 cm in diameter, the size, shape and markings of the black stigma give the species the name ‘doll’s eyes.’

The organization scoffed, “Did it just blink?”

“Well, I have to say that if there was ever a plant that I wouldn’t touch, wouldn’t mind eating, this would be it,” said one Facebook user.

“This plant just screams ‘Don’t eat me!’ Why anyone would think something so grotesque was endearing is beyond me,” said another.