UK man grows ‘deadly’ gympie-gympie in living room

When one sting from this regional Qld plant can leave a grown man writhing in pain, it‘s the last thing you want in your home, but one UK man insists he’s not crazy for raising one in a cage and behind a ‘Danger’ sign.

Taking a leaf out of 'Little Shop of Horrors', Daniel Emlyn-Jones shows off his Gympie-Gympie plant. Picture: Oxford Mail.

Described as the “world’s most dangerous plant”, Gympie’s namesake is not exactly what most people would want growing inside their living room.

100+ plants: Man busted growing crop near Gympie

But, that is exactly what Daniel Emlyn-Jones is doing.

Emlyn-Jones, 49, who lives in Oxford in the United Kingdom, insisted he is not crazy for raising the gympie-gympie plant in his home.

Gympie-Gympie stinging tree in focus

“I don‘t want to come over as a loon, I’m doing it very safely,” Mr Emlyn Jones told the Oxford Mail.

“Some botanic gardens have these plants as interesting specimens.”

Mr Emlyn-Jones works as an online science tutor.

He hopes to boost interest from his students and the wider community about exotic plant life.

Mr Emlyn-Jones said he had only been stung once (through a pair of gloves) since purchasing the plant online. He described the pain as “not awful”.

For Daniel, staying safe from the gympie-gympie sting is simple: a ‘Danger’ sign and a cage around the plant. Picture: Oxford Mail.

The gympie-gympie plant is known around the world for its painful sting. In fact, one brush of the plant’s stinging needles can (and will) leave you writhing on the floor in pain.

Symptoms include sneezing fits, aggressive rashes, severe muscle pain and swelling.

Severe cases can lead to hospitalisation.

In a National Geographic article, Scientist Dr Hugh Spencer describes the sting in all its agonising glory.

“[It’s] initially like being attacked by wasps, then you get whitening and swelling at the site, and then if it‘s really bad you get sweating – liquid just drips out of your skin,” Dr Spencer said.

“The hairs can become embedded in the skin, which can lead to long-term pain and sensitivity – there are many accounts of people suffering for months from a sting.”

Many Gympie residents have experienced the pain of the gympie-gympie.

For those hoping for a quick fix, there is a pain relief method – but it isn’t for the faint of heart.

Applying diluted hydrochloric acid (1:10 by volume) to neutralise the hair‘s peptide coating, followed by waxing strips to remove the stinging hairs should provide relief within 90 minutes.