The Jordan Hall greenhouse has served as an education center and a research laboratory for decades. The greenhouse is trying to focus more on community outreach and interactive involvement. The research side is focusing on immune systems in plants and reducing plant interactions with pesticides.
Greenhouse assistant Tom Pirtle said the greenhouse looks to acquire endangered, rare and unusual plants as part of a conservation effort.
The ground level greenhouse is used for community outreach and visiting classes. The rooftop greenhouses are used for research. There is a lot of push against removing plants from the wild, but Pirtle said when it’s either removal or extinction, the options are limited.
Pirtle said there are numerous species in the Jordan Hall greenhouse that are extinct in the wild. The Venus flytraps currently housed in the greenhouse are nearly extinct in the wild. The orchid Paphiopedilum, characterized by multiple flowers ranging from scarlet to yellow and sometimes called the Venus slipper, is extinct in the wild, Pirtle said.