UK man grows 'world's most dangerous plant' at home because he was bored

If touched, Gympie-Gympie is capable of torturing its victims for over a year if its stinging hairs are not removed from the skin. (Image credit: asyarfs.org)

Gympie-Gympie is a relatively harmless looking plant... until you touch it. The plant has a sting that feels like being burnt with hot acid and electrocuted at the same time, and often drives people in agony to kill themselves and is thus also called the "suicide plant".

It is this plant that a man in Britain is growing in a cage because he was "a bit bored", reported Daily Mail. The cage has a danger sign.

Daniel Emlyn-Jones said he's growing the Gympie-Gympie "very safely". "I don't want to come over as a loon. I'm doing it very safely," the 49-year-old said. "Some botanic gardens have these plants as interesting specimens."

Today’s third Ecological Horror is the Gympie Gympie!

Also known as the Suicide Plant, Stings from this plant can last for months. They leave an intense allergic reaction, occasionally causing anaphylactic shock. They can also grow fruit, which is 100% edible, but a gamble. pic.twitter.com/cpfmdJaysJ — EcoHorror of the uhh uhhhh the god damn uhh uhhhhh (@EcoHorrorOTD) October 18, 2021

When asked about why he chose to grow such a dangerous plant, he told the publication that he was "a bit bored with geraniums" and wanted to add "a bit of excitement" to his green hobby.

"After growing my bananas in the front garden, I thought the Gympie-Gympie plant would keep things interesting. I planted these in the spring, so they've taken a good few months to grow now," Emlyn-Jones told Daily Mail.

If touched, Gympie-Gympie is capable of torturing its victims for over a year if its stinging hairs are not removed from the skin, the publication reported. One man reportedly shot himself dead after being driven mad by the pain when he used the nettle-like shrub as toilet paper.

And the Oxford teacher already has had a brush with danger.

"If you grasp it, it's probably not a good idea, but I've been slightly stung by it through the fabric bit on the back of my heavy duty elbow length gloves and that wasn't awful," he told Daily Mail.

"I've got 3 per cent hydrochloric acid which you can soak the area with for 15 minutes to lessen the sting. It was very slight - it didn't really bother me much to be honest."