Is this real? Kinda hard to believe a plant has silicone in it?
Dendrocnide moroides, commonly known in Australia as the stinging tree, stinging bush, or gympie-gympie, is a plant in the nettle family Urticaceae found in rainforest areas of Malesia and Australia. It is notorious for its extremely painful and long-lasting sting.
Stinging hairs are striking examples of plant microengineering-the plant equivalent of the hypodermic syringe. The requisite mechanical properties are mostly achieved by cell wall mineralization. Stinging hairs of Urtica dioica (Urticaceae) are known to be mineralized with silica and calcium carbonate
Quote from: Fishmé on May 06, 2025, 12:59:26 amIs this real? Kinda hard to believe a plant has silicone in it?Yes, the plant is real: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrocnide_moroidesQuoteDendrocnide moroides, commonly known in Australia as the stinging tree, stinging bush, or gympie-gympie, is a plant in the nettle family Urticaceae found in rainforest areas of Malesia and Australia. It is notorious for its extremely painful and long-lasting sting. First thing of note: Silicon, not silicone. Silicon is a mineral, often found in sand and rocks. Silicone is a rubbery polymer, often found in bad dragons. ..https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siliconhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SiliconeThat E makes all the difference. Moving on to the veracity of these statements, yes I looked it up and it's true. This plant uses a process called cell wall mineralization where the plant takes silicon out of the ground and uses it to create needle like structures filled with neurotoxin.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30080249/QuoteStinging hairs are striking examples of plant microengineering-the plant equivalent of the hypodermic syringe. The requisite mechanical properties are mostly achieved by cell wall mineralization. Stinging hairs of Urtica dioica (Urticaceae) are known to be mineralized with silica and calcium carbonate