You would never have imagined that there was such a plant in the world that could make people so painful that they were called "suicide trees" by people.
It is said that when a soldier untied his hand at night, because he did not bring a tissue, he casually pulled the leaves on the side and wiped his butt, but he was so hurt that he could not stand it, and finally had to end his life.
So, what kind of plant is it? How can it be so painful?
This terrifying tree is the "golden bark tree", which grows mainly in Australia and parts of Indonesia, and belongs to the nettle family.
In 1941, a soldier named Cyril Bromley was scratched by an unknown local thorn tree while crossing the Barron River in Australia.
Immediately, he felt a sharp pain coming from him, so that he could no longer walk. There was no way, for the next three weeks, his teammates tied him directly to the hospital bed.
According to the soldier's later memoirs, when a fellow military engineer disbanded in the jungle, he wiped his ass with the leaves of this tree, and finally could not stand the strong pain and had to end his life.
In 1963, a ranger in Australia was inadvertently slapped by a golden bark tree. As a result, for a long time, he was in so much pain that he couldn't sleep. It is said that he endured this pain for two years, during which time he had seizures every time he took a cold shower.
One day in 1966, MacMillan, who lives in Australia, was on his way home on horseback when his horse was accidentally stabbed by a roadside goldbark tree, causing intense pain. Within 2 hours, its horse was dying because it couldn't stand the severe pain.
So, what is the reason why this tree can cause so much pain?
Through the research of scientists, it was found that the leaves of this golden bark tree, as well as on the stems and fruits, have many small burrs. They are very sharp and can easily pierce ordinary clothing.
Moreover, because these burrs are very small, if some of them are stained on the body, in addition to being difficult to remove, they are often not found by people, and if they are unfortunate enough to touch them, they will be stabbed.
In addition, in these small burrs, there is also a fairly strong toxin. According to some people who have been stung by a golden bark tree, the feeling is like being stung by dozens of wasps at the same time in an instant, and it also carries the burning pain of being burned by acidic substances and the feeling of electric shock.
Even if you touch it slightly, it will immediately feel a tingling sensation. Moreover, this pain will be further strengthened, reaching its peak in 20 to 30 minutes, which is very painful.
So, what exactly is the venom of this golden bark tree? How can it cause such a strong feeling of pain?
It is said that in 1968, the British military learned of this terrible golden bark tree, and they wanted to study chemical weapons, so they immediately began to study it.
As a result, they found that this golden bark tree contained a variety of toxins that had never been discovered before, and they combined to form such a terrible poison.
Moreover, what is even more frightening is that this toxin of the golden bark tree can be stored for a very long time, and it is said that the sample of the golden bark tree collected in 1910 will still be painful if accidentally touched.
However, although the venom of the goldenbark tree can indeed make life worse than death, it does not have too strong a fatality rate, and only one case of being stung by the goldenbark tree has been found. However, after hearing the pain described by these people, I believe that I know that there will be no danger to my life, and everyone will definitely not dare to try it.
However, what makes you wonder is that the golden bark tree, which is fearful to humans, has no impact on many local animals, and even feeds exclusively on their leaves.
In addition, there are some insects that can walk freely on the leaves of the golden bark tree, such as entering no man's land, and some even set up small nests on the leaves.
Later, scientists found that these burrs of the golden bark tree are generally more on the newly emitted young leaves, and the burrs on the leaves that have existed for a long time will fall off over time.
Therefore, scientists speculate that the reason why the golden bark tree grows burrs is to protect the newly grown young leaves. In addition, scientists believe that the reason for this is likely to be "prepared" for some herbivorous mammals that are now extinct, such as dipterodonts.
Fortunately, though, although these golden bark trees are terrifying, they are already very rare and endangered, so there is no need to worry too much about it invading other areas.