Syd wrote:-
BTW, I was once asked by a zoologist friend who had been out spotlighting,
to go with him and witness (lest he be disbelieved) a ringtail dining
happily on the leaves of a young Giant Stinging Tree (Dendrocnide
excelsa).
the Green Ringtail is virtually silent and has a particular appetite for
Dendrocnide photinophylla, the shiny leaved or Mulberry leaved Stinging
Tree. D. moroides which is the nastiest of this group in Australia (and yes
I've been stung by them all except the rare one from Cape York) is rarely
eaten. The exception to this is if the dry season has been severe and then
we get a few storms. D. moroides is one of the first plants to respond with
new growth. The Green Ringtails then come to the ground, even during the
day, to feed on these shrubs.
Below the signature is an extract from one of my newsletters if people wish
to read more about the stinging trees.
Regards,
Alan
To some overseas visitors Australia is a place of friendly people but a most
unfriendly nature. We have the most poisonous land snake, the most dangerous
spiders and the most painful plant. The worst of the stinging trees is not
actually a tree but a bush. Of the six species in Australia there are two
trees and four shrubs. While closely related to the stinging nettles, the
shrubs are much worse.
The leaves are heart shaped with teeth on the edges, a quilted appearance
and a covering of fine hairs. While they can grow to seven metres it is
unusual for them to exceed three. All parts of the plant carry the stinging
hairs.
The leaves of the Gympie-gympie are covered in silica hairs which are like
straws of glass. By brushing against the leaves the hairs penetrate the
skin. In this straw is a nasty chemical which causes the sting. Although the
pain is intense the agent is not causing any damage to your body; it just
feels like it is killing you! The affect is to stimulate the nerves causing
a painful sensation. It is not necessary to actually touch the bush to
suffer its impact. Just working near the plants for some time or slashing
them with a machine can be enough for the hairs to irritate the membranes of
the nose and eyes. After affects vary from person to person and on the area
stung but I have had them last for four months. When the area became cold I
would get a little electric shock. Others suffer a burning sensation when
the area is rubbed.
These plants do not lie in wait to jump out at unsuspecting bushwalkers but
they do often grow along tracks. For stinging trees to grow, they need good
light but protection from wind. Beside roads, tracks and where trees have
fallen are the best places to find and avoid stinging trees.
Prevention is always the best medicine. Find out what they look like, stay
on the track and don't touch. If one is stung, the removal of the hairs by
hair removal wax will reduce the pain. Distraction by focusing on something
else is often the best pain control. A severe sting will cause the release
of lymph and the swelling of the gland in groin or armpit. In the case of
unbearable pain or the injury of infants seek medical supervision. Do not
try the bush remedies you may have heard of as the best is of negligible use
and the worst, dangerous.
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