“Plants use up too much oxygen,” Mae West explained why she had no plants in her apartment. Of the many memorable quotes made by Brooklyn-born actress (1892-1980), none was probably more inaccurate. In all fairness, the myth persists in some quarters. But in fact a fancy for indoor foliage improves health, both physically and mentally. And scientific studies prove it.
It started with NASA. In the late 1980s, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America studied indoor plants to demonstrate the effectiveness of particular plants on air quality in space facilities. Commonly known as the NASA Clean Air Study, researchers concluded that certain plants are capable of removing up to 87% of pollutants within 24 hours. In the years since, this pioneering study encouraged further research into health and happiness attributed to houseplants.
Apart from chemicals used in the construction of modern furnishings and finishes, such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene, the air in homes and commercial buildings may also include moulds and bacteria. During winter at least it is also very dry: It has been observed that the air of the average North American home in winter contains less moisture than that found in the middle of the Sahara. For the record, nothing grows in the middle of that redoubtable desert.
“Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died,” advised the late Erma Bombeck. And apart from home and office, shopping malls and individual retail stores, plants in classrooms and hospitals have much to recommend for them.
Indoor plants can reduce fatigue, coughs, sore throats and other cold-related illnesses by more than 30 percent, enthuse the Daily Mail, quoting a study from the University of Agriculture in Norway. The paper also noted that having plants in a classroom can boost the learning potential of students, according to the Royal College of Agriculture.
Still not convinced? Kansas State University researchers have demonstrated that hospital patients with plants in their room have less pain, anxiety, and fatigue, take significantly less medication, have lower blood pressure and heart rates, and are happier with their recovery rooms than patients without plants. And while you might not want to hint to your supervisor of this, at work having plants improves concentration and productivity while reducing sick days.
To clear the air, an average size household room will require but a single 10-inch pot of any one of the following. Imagine, therefore, what more might do . . .
16 Top Choices for Interior Pollution Reduction
Chinese Evergreen Aglonema modestum
Anthurium or Flamingo Lily Anthurium andraenum
Spider Plant Chlorophytum comosum
Areca or Butterfly Palm Chrysalidocarpus lutescens/Dypsis lutescens
Florist’s Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum morifolium
Dracaena or Red-Edged Dracaena Draceana marginata
Massangeana or Cornstalk Dracaena Draceana fragrans ‘Massangeana’
Weeping Fig Ficus benjamina
Pothos or Devil’s Ivy Epidendrum aureum
Gerbera or Barberton Daisy Gerbera jamesonii
English Ivy Hedera helix
Boston Fern Nephrolepis exaltata
Dwarf Date Palm Phoenix robelenii
Broadleaf Lady Palm Rhapis excelsa
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue or Variegated Snake Plant Sansevieriatrifasciata ‘Laurentii’
Peace Lily or Spathe Flower Spathiphyllum ‘Mauna Loa’
Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.
