Dendrocnide photinophylla, the shining-leaved stinging tree, is a rainforest 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...

 of eastern 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...

. It occurs from near the Colo River

Colo River

The Colo River is a river in New South Wales, Australia.The Colo River begins at the confluence of the Wolgan River and the Capertee River, which respectively drain the Wolgan and Capertee Valleys north of Lithgow. The river flows eastwards and then south through a deep gorge in the northern...

 north west of Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

 to Cooktown in tropical Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

. A versatile species occurring in many different rainforest types. The specific epithet photinophylla translates to shining leaf. The generic name translates to "Stinging Tree".

Sting

Stinging Trees are often disliked by bush walkers and nature lovers because of the reaction of the stinging hairs to human skin. However, they are an important member of the ecosystems of Australian rainforests. The sting of this plant is not considered as severe as the related 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...

or 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...

. However, avoiding the leaves and twigs is strongly recommended.

Description

A medium to large sized tree up to 30 metres tall and with a stem diameter of 75 cm. The trunk is flanged or buttressed. The grey bark is fairly smooth but with some bumps, lines and ridges. Small branches are smooth and grey, with green at the ends.

Leaves glossy with erect stinging hairs particularly on the leaf veins. Leaves elliptic in shape, 6 to 13 cm long, 3 to 8 cm wide

Male and female flowers sometimes on separate trees. Appearing yellowish green from November to June on small panicle

Panicle

A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....

s from the leaf axils. The fruit is an unevenly shaped nut or an achene

Achene

An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...

, resembling a mass of white grubs. Maturing from January to March. The fruit would be edible for humans if not for the stinging hairs. Fruit eaten by many rainforest birds, including the Regent Bowerbird

Regent Bowerbird

The Regent Bowerbird, Sericulus chrysocephalus is a medium-sized, up to 25 cm long, sexually dimorphic bowerbird. The male bird is black with a golden orange-yellow crown, mantle and black-tipped wing feathers. It has yellow bill, black feet and yellow iris...

 and Torresian Crow

Torresian Crow

The Torresian Crow , also occasionally called the Australian Crow or Papuan Crow in those respective countries, is an Australasian member of the crow genus...

.