Stems basally 2-4 mm thick, sparsely covered with stinging hairs (2-3 mm long), trichomes scabrid (up to 1 mm long) and glochidiate (0.3 mm long).

Stems rarely basally lignescent 3-5 mm thick, sparsely to densely covered with stinging hairs 3-4 mm long, scabrid trichomes (ca.

10-30 cm, crowned with persistent leaf rosettes, (3-) 5-8 (-10) mm in diameter, densely covered with stinging hairs 3-4 mm long and glochidiate trichomes 0.1-0.3 mm long.

Leaves with petioles 10-50 (-80) mm long; lamina narrowly ovate to triangular-ovate, 20 x 17 to 140 x 60 mm, pinnate-pinnatifid to pinnatisect with 5-9 lobes on each side, with proximal pair of leaflets often free; leaf lobes up to 20 x 12 mm, margins grossly serrate to pinnatifid with 2-4 lobules/teeth on each side; adaxial leaf surface sparsely to densely setose with stinging hairs 3-5 mm long, and covered with scabrid trichomes up to 0.6 mm long; abaxial leaf surface esetulose or with scattered stinging hairs 2-3 mm long on major veins only, densely covered with scabrid trichomes 0.4 mm long and sparsely with glochidiate trichomes ca.

In addition to the pain, I found that the stinging hairs are also shed continuously and cause an allergic reaction to anyone who remains close to these plants for more than one hour.

It is interesting that many native mammals and birds are not deterred by the stinging hairs, while the relative newcomers to Australia: humans, dogs and horses are adversely affected.

Both are eaten by many rainforest birds, regardless of the stinging hairs. The seeds are then spread via bird droppings to other parts of the rainforest, where they sit in the soil waiting for the next break in the canopy and the chance to do it all again.