Dendrocnide is a genus of 37 species of shrub

Shrub

A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...

 to large tree

Tree

A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...

 in the nettle family Urticaceae

Urticaceae

Urticaceae, or the nettle family, is a family of flowering plants. The family name comes from the genus Urtica . Urticaceae includes a number of well-known and useful plants, including the aforementioned nettles, Ramie , māmaki , and ajlai .The family includes approximately 2600 species, grouped...

. They have a wide distribution across South-East Asia, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and the Pacific Islands

Pacific Islands

The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....

.

They are colloquially known as stinging nettles or nettle trees. One Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n species, Dendrocnide excelsa

Dendrocnide excelsa

Dendrocnide excelsa, the giant stinging tree is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It occurs from Tathra, New South Wales to Imbil in south eastern Queensland, and is very common at Dorrigo National Park and other rainforest walks in eastern Australia...

 (Giant Stinging Tree), can grow to over 40 metres in height, but the dangerous Dendrocnide moroides

Dendrocnide moroides

Dendrocnide moroides, also known as the Gympie Gympie, moonlighter, or stinger, is a large shrub native to rainforest areas in northeastern Australia, the Moluccas and Indonesia. It is best known for stinging hairs which cover the whole plant and deliver a potent neurotoxin when touched. It is the...

 (gympie-gympie) is only shrub-size.

In Vanuatu

Vanuatu

Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...

, where Dendrocnide species are known by the Bislama name nanggalat, they have various customary uses, including the whipping of those found guilty of breaking taboos. The pain caused by merely touching the nanggalat is no worse than the sting of a common European nettle, but far more persistent, returning whenever the affected area of skin is touched by water, an effect that may last for days.

Dendrocnide species are used as food plants by the larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

e of some Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...

 species including Aenetus scotti

Aenetus

Aenetus is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae. There are 24 described species found in Indonesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand. Most species have green or blue forewings and reddish hindwings but some are predominantly brown or white...

.

Selected species

• Dendrocnide corallodesme
• Dendrocnide cordata
• Dendrocnide excelsa
  Dendrocnide excelsa
  Dendrocnide excelsa, the giant stinging tree is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It occurs from Tathra, New South Wales to Imbil in south eastern Queensland, and is very common at Dorrigo National Park and other rainforest walks in eastern Australia...
  
  , giant stinging tree
• Dendrocnide meyeniana
• Dendrocnide moroides
  Dendrocnide moroides
  Dendrocnide moroides, also known as the Gympie Gympie, moonlighter, or stinger, is a large shrub native to rainforest areas in northeastern Australia, the Moluccas and Indonesia. It is best known for stinging hairs which cover the whole plant and deliver a potent neurotoxin when touched. It is the...
  
  , gympie gympie
• Dendrocnide peltata
  Dendrocnide peltata
  Dendrocnide peltata, commonly known simply as the Stinging Tree or Jelaton, is a large tree in the nettle family Urticaceae. With the other species of the genus Dendrocnide it is known for the stinging hairs which cover the whole plant and cause severe pain when touched...
  
  
• Dendrocnide photinophylla
  Dendrocnide photinophylla
  Dendrocnide photinophylla, the shining-leaved stinging tree, is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It occurs from near the Colo River north west of Sydney to Cooktown in tropical Queensland. A versatile species occurring in many different rainforest types. The specific epithet photinophylla...
  
  , shiny-leaved stinging tree