stinging trees

[philinsydney]

An interesting article about these notorious trees:

http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s243639.htm

[ariscott]

Sounds nasty...!! Thank goodness they are not native to the Top End.

Regards, Ari

[edleigh7]

Yes I've been stung by it and it wasn't pleasant

The funny thing was it was done on purpose to see what it fealt like. The pain lasted for about 6 hours and drove me crazy

Les Hiddins, the bush tucker man, reckons that the sap from Alocasia macrorrhizos relieves the pain from the sting as well as snake bite, insects and stingrays. This plant is always near the Giant Stinging Tree.

Interesting...

[philinsydney]

I got some photos of D. excelsa from near Wollongong. apparenly further north they can grow more than 30m.

[philinsydney]

Ed, I assume this is the species that stung you. It's sting is described as "very painful". Far worse is D. moroides, which usually itches and stings for many months (apparently)

[edleigh7]

Yes it certainly looks like the one.

That other species you mentioned, I've heard that the sting comes back at the same time each year, like some snake and spider bites, but like you said......apparently

[aussiearoids]

Thats an old husbands tale ;-)

[alan.oz]

I read somewhere that during Captain Cooks famous trip up the east coast of Australia in 1770 ,while ashore one day a crew member went into the forest for a toilet break- not having any toilet paper he unfortunately chose the leaf of a stinging tree instead!

[edleigh7]

What a bummer

Whats an old husbands tale, Mick?

The sting staying for months

The sting re-occuring

Alocasia being a remedy

Or all of the above?

[aussiearoids]

Anniversery aches seem very mythical to me .

[eastern.nurseries]

Hey, They're no worse than a bunch of dunny budgies in the pie cabinet at the Tully servo.

[BigFrond]

Nasty.  I came in contact with poison oak and stinging nettles in one fishing trip to the lake, a double wammy.  The stinging nettles is super duper painful.  However, I would take that pain over the poison oak.  First, I got it on my arms and legs.  Then I got it all over my body from scratching.  Worst, I got it on a certain part of my body when after I went to the urinal.  Here's the catch though.  The itch went away after a week, but I got it again even after I have washed my clothes.  What a bummer!

[edleigh7]

Yeah your right Mick, it does sound a bit out there.

LOL Jon...

Sounds like a real bad fishing trip Big Frond

[DoomsDave]

(alan.oz @ Jan. 14 2008,01:42)

QUOTE

I read somewhere that during Captain Cooks famous trip up the east coast of Australia in 1770 ,while ashore one day a crew member went into the forest for a toilet break- not having any toilet paper he unfortunately chose the leaf of a stinging tree instead!

w a h a ha ha aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

That had to be nasty!

Did the Indigeonous Australians have any immunity?  If not that must have sucked, running around in the nude . . .