Recommendations for three types of flowering plants suitable for indoor cultivation
With the improvement of living standards, using green plants for indoor greening and decoration has become a fashion. Recently, scientists from NASA found that among evergreen foliage plants and green flowering plants, many have the effect of eliminating toxic chemicals in buildings. This study also found that plants do not only absorb substances through their leaves; the roots of plants and the bacteria in the soil also make indispensable contributions to removing harmful substances. Zhou Shuqin, an engineer at the Indoor Environment Monitoring Center of the China Decoration Association, believes that the following three types of plants are most suitable for placement indoors.
Plants that can absorb toxic chemicals
Aloe, spider plant, snake plant, Aspidistra, and Monstera are natural scavengers
and can remove harmful substances from the air. Studies have shown that snake plant and spider plant can absorb more than 80% of harmful gases indoors, and their ability to absorb formaldehyde is extremely strong. Aloe is also good at absorbing formaldehyde, and can absorb 90% of the formaldehyde contained in 1 cubic meter of air.
English ivy, sago palm, chrysanthemum, kumquat, pomegranate, purslane, Chinese rose, camellia, pomegranate, Aglaia odorata, daisy, wintersweet, marigold, and others can effectively remove harmful substances such as sulfur dioxide, chlorine, ether, ethylene, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide.
Orchids, osmanthus, wintersweet, Caladium bicolor, and Excoecaria cochinchinensis are natural dust collectors; their fine hairs can intercept and retain floating particles and smoke dust in the air.
Plants that can repel mosquitoes and insects
As the weather warms up, mosquito-repelling plants have become a focus of attention. Mosquito plant is one such plant. It is an aromatic plant of the Pelargonium family with a modified genetic structure, and was only introduced from Australia in recent years. This plant is drought-tolerant, can grow to maturity within half a year, and with proper care can live for 10 years—15 years. Its branches and leaves can be shaped at will, and it has high ornamental value. Mosquito plant gives off a fresh, elegant lemon fragrance, has a very good mosquito-repelling effect indoors, and has no toxic side effects on the human body. The higher the temperature, the more fragrance it releases, and the better the mosquito-repelling effect. According to tests, one pot of mosquito plant with a crown width of more than 30 cm can drive mosquitoes and insects out of a room with an area of more than 10 sq m. In addition, a plant called pyrethrum contains pyrethrin and can also effectively repel mosquitoes and insects.
Plants that can kill bacteria
The volatile oils produced by aromatic flowers such as rose, osmanthus, stock, jasmine, lemon, rose, dianthus, lily of the valley, and crape myrtle have significant bactericidal effects.
Plants such as crape myrtle, jasmine, and lemon can kill native bacteria such as diphtheria bacteria and dysentery bacteria within 5 minutes. The fragrances given off by plants such as rose, dianthus, lily of the valley, stock, rose, and osmanthus have a clear inhibitory effect on the growth and reproduction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, pneumococcus, and Staphylococcus.
Succulent plants such as cactus that originate from tropical arid regions have stomata on their fleshy stems that close during the day and open at night; while absorbing carbon dioxide, they produce oxygen, increasing the concentration of negative ions in indoor air.
Plants such as Sansevieria trifasciata, snake plant, agave, Opuntia, Kalanchoe, sedum, Bryophyllum, and cultivated bromeliads can also purify the air at night.
Planting climbing plants such as Boston ivy, grape, morning glory, wisteria, and rose around the home and letting them climb along walls or trellises to form a green shade canopy can effectively reduce solar radiation and greatly lower indoor temperature.
Plants such as lilac, jasmine, rose, stock, and mint can help people relax, feel cheerful, aid sleep, and also improve work efficiency.