The Eberly College of Science’s Buckhout Greenhouse, one of Penn State’s best-kept secrets, offers a unique experience for students, faculty, and visitors alike. Nestled in the heart of campus, just off the Buckhout Laboratory, the greenhouse has been a sanctuary for plant life for over a century.
Sophie Marsh, a December 2024 Penn State graduate, has spent the last two and a half years as the greenhouse undergraduate attendant. In her role, Marsh cares for and maintains the specimens throughout the greenhouse, handling tasks from watering and pruning to monitoring plant health and pest control. Her work reinforced her studies in plant sciences and horticulture, enhancing her education through hands-on experience.
“Professors can use the greenhouse for classes on an ‘as needed’ basis if something connects to their class, or if they just want to do something other than be in a classroom,” explains Marsh. She has seen courses ranging from typical plant science classes all the way to writing and art classes utilize the greenhouse as an educational setting.
Marsh leads tours of the greenhouse for Penn State students, faculty, and anyone in the community who stops by from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays. A typical tour includes visits to four rooms showcasing most of the greenhouse’s collection. Other areas are reserved for plant biology research and are not open to visitors.
Guests often are surprised by the greenhouse’s lush and warm environment, especially in the colder months. One highlight is the Lloyd Driver Orchid Collection, named for the greenhouse’s first manager. The collection features orchids, air plants, carnivorous species, and several amborella shrubs — a plant that is significant both because it is considered to be the world’s oldest flowering species and because of Penn State’s leadership of the Amborella Genome Mapping Project in the 2010s.
The greenhouse also hosts an array of rare and exotic plants, including Brighamia insignis, or “cabbage on a stick,” which is native to Hawaii. Though extinct in the wild, cabbage on a stick thrives in cultivation, and the greenhouse has successfully propagated it from seeds.
The conservatory, the greenhouse’s most densely populated room, houses plants that date back over 100 years. Some plants have rooted directly into the ground, beyond their original pots, which have been left behind as a visual marker of growth. “There used to be a glass, Victorian-style greenhouse over [the conservatory], but it was torn down when the space expanded,” Marsh shares. A pond — home to fish, snails, and a toad named Toadifer — adds to the room’s charm and transforms it into a full ecosystem.
Another popular spot is the greenhouse’s flower room. A classic display room, this section features vibrant plants under bright lights. Visitors can admire fragrant citrus trees and colorful blooms, all while learning about the plants’ biology.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the greenhouse is its dedication to parasitic plants, which Marsh notes is somewhat of a specialty. In addition to housing parasitic plants for research by Penn State’s Center for Parasitic and Carnivorous Plants, the greenhouse has a few on display — including mistletoe and cassytha, which bond to other plants for nutrients. Marsh often challenges visitors to search for these plants on tours of the flower room.
Students and visitors are encouraged to interact with the plants in more than just a visual sense. Tours of the greenhouse are designed to engage multiple senses, inviting people to touch fuzzy leaves, smell unique scents, and learn about the biology behind each specimen. A favorite among visitors is the “popcorn plant,” whose leaves smell like buttered popcorn when rubbed. However, Marsh says it’s not the same for everyone. “There’s a small percentage of people on the tours who have a certain genetic makeup, and the plant doesn’t smell like buttered popcorn,” laughs Marsh. “It’s another cool, educational thing you can find at the greenhouse.”
Between the intriguing welwitschia (which continually grows two leaves throughout its lifetime), the sarracenia (carnivorous plants native to Pennsylvania and found in Black Moshannon State Park), or even delicate cacao flowers (which will eventually become chocolate), Buckhout Greenhouse has something to interest anyone who steps inside. Rich history, active research, and beautiful plant combine to create a sense of connection to the past and present of plant biology and horticulture at Penn State. Whether you are visiting as part of a class, or just exploring on your own, the greenhouse can engage your mind and your senses, bringing awareness to the unique intersection of education, research, and nature. T&G
Jules Slater is a State College freelance writer.
