Recently an interesting discovery was made on campus: The Corpse Flower was in the pre-stages of its bloom and put on display to be viewed in Sequoia Hall.

However, until its blooming excitement this past month, little attention was given to its existence or its location.

The Blooming Corpse acts as an important reminder that fascinating things are taking place on our campus that many may not be informed about.

Students pass by the campus greenhouse all of the time on their way to class, Starbucks or the Riverfront. However, very few people actually wander through the exhibit.

The greenhouse embodies something very unique and vibrant because it holds inside treasures that people do not normally see.

Michael Fong, the current greenhouse technician, explains his reasoning for the insufficient attention plants receive.

He said many people do not notice the greenhouse or the contents inside because the components do not appear to be moving to the common eye.

Students see squirrels and birds and animals because they move; they do not see plants as easily, but they are moving just as much and are just as alive.

The first version of the Sacramento State greenhouse appeared in 1968 and the succulent house was created in 1996. Two years later the research house was built in 1998.

These three spaces still remain today.

Professors Hal Weidman, Marda West and Lee Kavaljian were the main forces behind the development of the Sac State greenhouse. Their hopes in building this exhibit was to embrace and share with the community a wide variety of plant species brought to us from around the world. It was also a way to preserve the plants that were not acclimated to our cold winters and hot summers.

The greenhouse represents a resource utilized significantly by the Biology Department and also as a field trip experience for many elementary schools.

The building embodies much more than just a home for plants. It is a place for students to apply research on all branches of biology including general biology, taxonomy and ecology.

It also serves as a place for art and photography students to capture the beauty of the exotic plants within the exhibit.

Michael Baad, ecology and systematics professor, is the director of the arboretum on campus.

“Although we are totally dependent on plants’ efforts in converting sunlight into protoplasm, we tend to be largely ignorant regarding the thousands of different evolutionary and ecological strategies that have developed over the millennia to allow plants to succeed in habitats as different as tropical rainforest and arctic tundra,” Baad said. “The living museums that are greenhouses and botanical gardens serve to acquaint humans with the wonders of the intact world’s ecosystems and the critical role each plays in maintaining the stability of these increasingly fragile collections of plant and animal species.”

The greenhouse is a very unique and significant element on Sac State’s campus.

When stepping into the greenhouse, there is a light mist falling from the ceilings.

Inside there are different rooms for each of the different species of plants; each requires a certain temperature, amount of humidity and amount of water.

Evan Hanson, senior biology major, works in the greenhouse and comments on it’s significance.

“It’s critical for the biology department to catalogue and display an array of different organisms so that we can preserve the diversity and natural history of an environment that is constantly changing,” Hanson said.

There are six rooms total in the greenhouse. One of the first rooms on the right of the entrance is the Orchid Room.

Sunlight floods in through the windows and creates a very open and airy ambiance.

Inside there are many different kinds of plants that hang on the walls of the building. These specific plants are called epiphytes.

Across, lies the Pond Room. There are various kinds of water lettuce and other types of plants that thrive in this type of vegetation.

Next to the Pond Room is what is known as “Baad’s Room.” This room is dedicated to some of the plants he tends to as well as extra materials.

The Carnivorous Room is filled with plants similar to the famous venus flytrap.

Many of the plants in this room open and close based off of receptors they have that react to touch, or insects. They close so they can capture their prey and consume protein.

In the greenhouse these particular flowers do not actually need to consume the flies. They can survive just off of water.

However, they typically grow in vegetation with insufficient levels of nitrogen in the water so they must revert to other ways of nourishing themselves.

Crystal Zamora is a senior biology major who works in the greenhouse.

She provided information about one plant called “Mimosa.”

Zamora said it is also called a sensitive plant because it closes when it’s touched to protect itself from predators; it uses this mechanism to appear shriveled up and dead.

The room across from the Carnivorous Room is the Equisetum Room, and is filled with different types of moss.

These two rooms are the only ones that are not heated.

Their ceiling opens up automatically based off of temperature to allow the room to cool off and receive new air flow throughout the room.

There is also a room devoted to Fong, and it is known as the hospital. It is where sick plants are taken and where new plants are received to be checked out before putting them out with the other plants.

There are also two additional houses for succulents and research. These are extensions from the large greenhouse on campus.

“Although we do carry some natives, we focus on rare species in regards to what people are used to from here in California, “ Hanson said.

Students are encouraged to step into a different world filled with obscure tropical plants within the greenhouse located on campus behind Sequoia Hall.