Plants – did you know?

31 October 2018

Everyday Ambius helps businesses to improve their workspaces with plants. Plants can bring incredible benefits to individuals and businesses, with a recent report revealing that introducing plants in the work environment can increase workplace satisfaction by up to 40%. From improving our creativity in the office to helping us sleep better at home, it is proven that plants improve our wellbeing and physical environments, and they have an incredible history.

Here Ambius shares some of the lesser-known facts about plants, and how they can help improve your surroundings.

• Stuck for creative ideas? Studies have shown that offices with plants help to generate 15% more ideas from employees.
• Orchids are quickly becoming the most popular choice of flowers around the office; however what most people do not know is that most orchids actually grow on trees (epiphytic) or on rocks (lithophytic) and not from the ground.
• Because of their beautiful colours, lilies are often used to make a good first impression in areas like receptions. But did you know that different varieties and colours of lily have certain meanings? White lilies symbolise purity, day lilies represent flirtatiousness and the white tiger lily symbolises majesty and wealth.
• The graceful lines and resilient nature of palms make them popular choices in modern hotels, restaurants and reception areas, but did you know they were one of the first plants to be cultivated and were given as prizes in ancient Greece and Rome, for feats of skill and strength.
• The Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii) is a great plant to have in a bathroom or damp area of an office, due to its quality of removing mould from air.
• Aside from having unique health benefits, there are more than 80,000 species of plants that are edible. However, 90% of the foods that humans eat come from just 30 plants. An estimated 50,000 - 70,000 of plant species are used for medicinal purposes.
• In the past willow tree bark has been used to chew on as a pain killer. It contains the chemical salicin, which is similar to aspirin, and gives willow bark its therapeutic effect.
• Humans are prone to accidents, and plants are a great way for treating ailments. Aloe vera is great for burns, while the calendula helps to heal wounds and chamomile can help to soothe an upset stomach.
• How did the Yucca plant get its name? Because of a sixteenth century mix up. Yucca is originally the native South American name for the sweet potato but the leafy plant we often see in offices and hotels is known as Yucca because the sixteenth century naturalists got the two plants confused and the rest is history.