Perched atop a parking garage near the medical center on the Ohio State University campus is a small piece of green wonder - the Biological Sciences Greenhouse. It's not a huge facility, and the major draw for the pop-in visitor fills just two rooms at the end of the hallway, but it sure is neat! The two rooms are filled with tropical plant life, and the warmth of the space sure provided some relief for any visits during our recent bouts of cold weather! It's a nice place to visit, but there's an even bigger treasure to behold here in recent years. It turns out the greenhouse director has a magic touch when it comes to the endangered Titan Arum, or Corpse Flower.
After a couple of exciting years of one bloom a piece (also a rare feat - blooms do not happen frequently), last year had an amazing three blooms. All of these titans can still be seen at the greenhouse, just not in bloom at this time, and it's neat to see them in different phases of titan life cycle - a couple are dormant, and one was in leaf, upon my most recent visit. The Corpse Flower is known as such due to the fact that it is pretty darn stinky when it opens, due to the need to attract pollinators, so while the greenhouse offers a video feed, the full experience is best in person. I've seen three of them now, and it's always a fascinating experience. They have special extra hours they are open during a bloom, since it only opens for a short period of time.
My most recent visit was for their current special exhibit of a hundred Voo-Doo Lilies, a relative of the titan arum. They also open for just a few days, but because there are so many, you should be able to see some in bloom during the event.
The greenhouse is open Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30. read more