The greenhouse is fully automated, with computer-controlled shades, 通风口, 和 watering systems that maintain consistent temperature, 湿度, 光, 和 soil moisture levels. 还有它的锦鲤池, 棕榈树, 和 balmy year-round temperatures, the greenhouse is an oasis no matter the season.
The 光-filled space is home to about 200 varieties of plants, from cacti 和 palms to bromeliads 和 water lilies. Tomatoes, bananas, pineapples, 和 peppers are harvested each year. The sources of your morning java 和 chocolate habit — Coffea阿拉比卡 和 Theobroma可可 植物在这里茁壮成长. Carnivorous plants such as flytraps, 投手的植物, 和 honeydews sit in a dark corner, awaiting their insect prey. Two towering plants — a travelers palm 和 a Norfolk Isl和 pine — nearly reach the apex of the roof.
The greenhouse also hosts some rare species, including a “corpse flower,” Amorphophallus titanum. A celebrity of the plant world, the corpse flower has a towering blossom that can reach 12 feet high 和 attracts insects to spread its pollen by looking 和 smelling like rotting flesh. The leaf structure can grow to 20 feet high 和 16 feet across. The plants rarely flower, but SPU’s corpse flower bloomed spectacularly in 2012.
Learn more about the SPU greenhouse on its Facebook页面.