World’s 'most dangerous' plant can cause pain that lasts for months with a single touch

People are flooding to social media in horror over a 'torture' plant which can cause pain which lasts 'months' from just a single touch.

As if there wasn't enough to worry about in the world already - taxes, pandemics and sharks - how about adding a painful plant to the list?

Be warned if you're ever in Australia and go for a wilderness wee to not grab a leaf of this to wipe your behind.

The world's 'most dangerous' plant (The University of Queensland)

What is the world’s 'most dangerous' plant?

An image of 'the world's most dangerous plant' has been circulating on social media, showing a pot containing a Dendrocnide moroides, AKA a 'Deadly Stinger'.

The plant is native to Queensland, Eastern Australia and in the photograph, it can be seen with a wire cage built around the pot.

The 'DANGER' sign reads: "One touch can induce nine months of intense re-occurring throbbing pain!"

But how?

The plant is known as the 'Queensland Stinger' (Twitter)

Why it's so painful

The State Library of Queensland explains 'every part' of the plant is covered in 'silica hairs' and these hairs 'act like hypodermic needles'.

Should you accidentally touch part of the plant, well you'd be in for a very nasty shock.

Queensland researcher Professor Irina Vetter told ABC: "When you brush past them, the needles act like a hypodermic syringe, penetrating your skin to inject what we now really consider a venom

"The minimum time that it can hurt for is around six to eight hours, but the really intriguing thing is you can trigger this pain for days, weeks and in some cases even months after being exposed."

And some people have even found that out for themselves.

The plant is covered in hairs which are like 'needles' (University of Queensland)

Far North Queensland trekking guide, Wayne Fitcher, ended up coming into contact with the plant when he tried to remove the plant after it stung a schoolchild he was touring through the rainforest.

He explained: "It was bordering on agony and that agony, in various degrees, lasted four or five months before it went away."

One Twitter user shared the image of the dangerous plant and questioned: "To whom would you gift such a plant?"

And it hasn't taken long for people to weigh in. One user wrote: "There is no one in my knowing that I would subject to that torture."

Another added: "That woke up my inner daredevil. The curiosity would consume me."

A third commented: "Wow, that just needs to be eradicated!"

However, the plant actually may end up serving an important purpose, with the Professor Vetter revealing the 'sting' of the plant could 'teach us a lot about how pain works in general'.

She resolved, as per a release on The University of Queensland's site: "The persistent pain the stinging tree toxins cause gives us hope that we can convert these compounds into new painkillers or anaesthetics which have long-lasting effects."

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