A Day at the McMaster Greenhouse Event with CAGIS Hamilton
By Jill Jansen
In October, I went to CAGIS Hamilton’s event at the McMaster Greenhouse. Dr. Susan Dudley, an evolutionary plant ecologist, and her assistants showed us around and introduced us to some amazing plants!
There were many interesting tropical plants that I haven’t seen anywhere else. Some of them were so big that they touched the top of the ceiling. There were also trees that produced things we eat, such as coffee, chocolate (cacao), and lemons.
We got to look at the corpse flower plants. These plants produce a smell of rotting meat when they bloom! Yuck! Fortunately for our noses, they were not blooming during our visit.
Dr. Dudley talked about the parts of the plant, and the adaptations and defenses some plants have.
For example, the mimosa plant (or sensitive plant) curls up on contact to protect itself. We tried this for ourselves by touching mimosa leaves and watching them react to our touch.
We also got to trigger venus flytraps and watch them close.
The McMaster Greenhouse was a great place to explore, and I was really glad to have the opportunity to visit!
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