Of Plants That Live with Us: Names, Stories, and Care
This book brings together stories of plants that live with us in Braunschweig. lt is inspired by Fourteen Trees of Rotterdam, a RISO printed publication by Alice Ladenburg that creatively archives fourteen trees in a variety of ways. Alice Ladenburg's book provides readers with an immersive portrayal of each tree and—with its meticulous and beautiful design—makes it an admirable work of art in its own right. lnspired by this multifaceted depiction of Rotterdam's trees and the lovely layout, we decided to make our own little book, which is the result of a teaching course and brings together stories of plants that live with us in Braunschweig.
When we talk about interactions between humans and plants, we usually refer to plants that grow outdoors. We discuss their changes throughout the seasons, their blooming and fruit-bearing,and their commumcation through root systems beneath the soil. However, when it comes to the potted plants that sit quietly on our windowsills or shelves, we rarely mention their names, history, and uses or ask whether interactions exist between them and us. This is what we wanted to change. So, together with students, we ventured to further explore human-plant interactions by considering those plants that live with us: house plants.
The concept of today's house plants evolved from potted plants and indoor plants. In Ancient Egypt, plants were put In pots to facilitate moving them around more easily within outdoor spaces. Plants were then moved into buildings to create temple and tomb gardens so that outdoor plants eventually became indoor plants. Under colonialism, exotic plants were widely transported and displayed in houses to demonstrate personal wealth and power.
The long distance relocation of a vast number of plants from warmer climates to the colonizers' home countries prompted the development of the Wardian case (a sealed glass and wooden box, like a small portable greenhouse), greenhouses, and botanical science. The formal system of binomial nomenclature was used for naming species by using two Latin terms and made these plants better known by their scientific names rather than their native ones. The cultural or functional significance of native names was gradually overlooked. Today, hause plants are used for decoration, purifying indoar air, enhancing wark efficiency, and expressing lifestyle or social identity. In a nutshell, the development of hause plants is deeply intertwined with human interventian and driven by human intentions. This pracess, however, forced the relacated plants ta adapt to completely different environments. Their separation from mother plants and soil made them highly dependent an human care.
This little book shows aur small steps af getting better acquainted with these potted beings. Each student selected a house plant that is or used ta be part af their life. The interactions between them andthe plants are represented by a keyward, as shawn on the cover of this little baok,and then unfolded in a short text. They depicted where these plants live in their hames and shared their care tips. Together, we researched their common, botanical, and native names. Some of these hause plants' native names were difficult to find. In these cases, we used the main language of the plant's native habitat ta determine its native name as a way ta help preserve this fading cultural knowledge. We wrote down our encounters with the plants and the time spent with them. Over time, these plants became links connecting aur pasts and futures, as well as our friends, families, and hometowns.
Afterthese twelve journeys of exploration, the quiet things on our windowsills and shelves are no longer quiet.
