Scientific Name: Dendrocnide Moroides
Common Name: Gympie-Gympie
Kabi Kabi Name: Gimpi Gimpi (Watson, 1944)
Dungidau Name: Gimpi Gimpi (Winterbotham)
Indigenous Use
Inner bark beaten out while green to make cloth for baby’s blanket. Juicy fruit stalk edible, though often clothed in stinging hairs. Bark of roots and stems used as a source of fibre for the construction of fishing nets. Stinging leaves used externally for rheumatism. Chewed bark used as a mop for extracting honey from native bees nests.
When to Use
The bark, roots, stems and leaves are available all year round. The fruit typically ripens during the late summer to early autumn period.
Identification
Leaves: The leaves of Dendrocnide moroides, commonly known as the Gympie-Gympie stinging tree, are large, heart-shaped, and have serrated margins. They measure between 12-22 cm in length and 11-18 cm in width. The leaves are covered with fine, stinging hairs that can cause severe pain upon contact (Australian National Botanic Gardens, 2024; Plants of the World Online, 2024).
Bark: The stems of Dendrocnide moroides are also covered with stinging hairs and are typically green and herbaceous. The plant can reach up to 1-3 meters in height and has a bushy appearance (Australian National Botanic Gardens, 2024).
Flowers: The flowers of Dendrocnide moroides are small, greenish, and arranged in clusters. They are generally inconspicuous and bloom throughout the year. The flowers are unisexual, with male and female flowers found on separate plants (Plants of the World Online, 2024).
Fruit: The fruit of Dendrocnide moroides is a small, fleshy drupe that turns from green to white as it matures. Each fruit is about 5-8 mm in diameter and contains a single seed. The fruits are often dispersed by birds (Australian National Botanic Gardens, 2024; Floridata, 2024).
Ecosystems
Found in the below ecosystem/s.
Rainforests: Sub-tropical rainforests usually consist of three strata of trees with up to 60 species making up the canopy, many with large leaves. Palms and strangler figs are common and the undergrowth is luxuriant with many epiphytic or terrestrial ferns and orchids and abundant large climbers of many species. In Queensland, rainforests can be found in well-known locations like the Daintree Rainforest, Lamington National Park, and Mary Caincross Park.
References
Australian National Botanic Gardens (2024). Dendrocnide moroides. Available at: https://www.anbg.gov.au/dendrocnide-moroides [Accessed 24 June 2024].
Plants of the World Online (2024). Dendrocnide moroides. Available at: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid
.org:names:320347-1 [Accessed 24 June 2024].
Floridata (2024). Dendrocnide moroides. Available at: https://www.floridata.com/Plants/Urticaceae/Dendrocnide-moroides/874 [Accessed 24 June 2024].
Cribb, A.B. and J.W., Useful Wild Plants. Fontana Books 1982
Petrie, Constance, Tom Petrie’s Reminiscences of Early Queensland. Angus and Robertson, 1975, (facsmile of 1904 edition)
Leiper, G., Glazebrook, J., Cox, D., & Rathie, K., 2008. Mountain to Mangroves: A Field Guide to the Native Plants of South-east Queensland. Logan River Branch, Society for Growing Australian Plants.
Watson, F.J., Vocabularies of Four Representative Tribes of South Eastern Queensland. Supplement to the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia. (Queensland), No 34 Vol XLVIII Brisbane
Winterbotham papers (Anthropology Museum, University of Queensland)