Gympie-Gympie
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Basic Information

The gympie-gympie is a herbaceous plant, related to the common stinging nettle which is native to Australasia (specifically NE Australia and Indonesia). The plant is generally unremarkable in appearance apart from its pinkish-purple mulberry like fruit, but is notable for having the most agonising sting of any plant known to man. Like the nettle, the plant is covered with a coat of short, stinging hairs which deliver a potent and long lived neuorotoxin capable of causing incapacitating agony for several days, followed by several weeks of severe pain and residual symptoms of irritation, flaring to pain, for up to several years. Even without direct contact, the plant appears capable of having allergenic effects at a distance. The fruit is, allegedly, edible, if the hairs are removed - and several native species seem immune to the sting anyway, consuming both leaves and fruit freely. It is not know if, like the stinging nettle, firm rather than passing contact prevents stinging but it seems unlikely that anyone would be unwise enough to investigate this.

Unsurprisingly for Australia, this is merely the worst, rather than the only, plant of the kind in the area.

Sources

Gympie-Gympie on "The Other Wiki"

Bibliography
1. full source reference

Game and Story Use

  • Presumably this could be used as a weapon, especially by any species immune to the sting, or as an instrument of torture or corporal punishment. Or, for that matter, in some kind of ordeal whether for trial or initiation.
  • It could also be planted defensively as a hedge.
  • Or used as part of a trap
  • Maybe a good thing to bring up when someone botches a survival roll really badly in the relevant part of the world.
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