It’s a 5,000-square-foot research greenhouse that scientists from all over the world come to study, filled with obscure and exotic plants you can’t find anywhere else on the planet — let alone in the D.C. region.
In today’s episode of “Matt About Town,” we’re wrapping up our exclusive, behind-the-scenes exploration of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland, at the Smithsonian Gardens Botany Research Greenhouse!
This lesser-known facility is only about a year old, with multiple state-of-the-art climate pods, designed to simulate the native climates of the rare plant species housed within its walls.
Whether it’s a plant whose stingers cause unimaginable pain, a plant whose flowers hold liquid that can be used as shampoo, or even a plant that looks like it could be straight out of the world of Harry Potter, there’s no shortage of fascinating finds in this living repository.
Even more important, though, is the mission here to conserve plant species. At the Botany Research Greenhouse, they aim to keep some of the most unique species alive, even if they disappear from everywhere else on the planet.
Enjoy this video exploration that highlights why it’s such a magical place!
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