AUSTRALIA may be notorious for its venomous animals, such as snakes and jellyfish, but the country is also home to dangerous plants. Some produce toxins that look very similar at the molecular level to spider and scorpion venom. Irina Vetter at the University of Queensland in Brisbane and her colleagues examined the toxins produced by the giant Australian stinging tree (Dendrocnide excelsa, pictured above), which can reach 35 metres in height, and the shrub-sized gympie gympie (Oendrocnide moroides), the most toxic of the six Dendrocnide species in Australia.
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