A Dendroxide Excelsa, Also known as Australian nettle, is a poisonous tree native to the Queensland rainforests.
In a study published in the journal Science Advances, the toxins produced by wood are similar to those of a spider, with initial burns and pain lasting several hours and lasting for weeks.
A team from the University of Queensland has found that the molecular structure of the toxin is similar to that of a knot, so the toxin repeatedly reaches the victim’s pain receptors, the BBC reports. They called this type of neurotoxin “zimbidides” because it is also called this organism Zimbi-Zimbi.
The tree can reach a height of 35 meters and bite through the hairs on the leaves. Irina Wetter of the University of Queensland Institute of Molecular Biosciences CNN “They look like fine hair, but in reality they act like hypothermic needles that inject toxins when they come in contact with the skin.”.
Its main purpose is to understand how tree toxins work.
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