Nach Feierabend im Palmenhaus, wo Dampf und Licht an ihren Hemdkragen kriechen.
The story
The air is heavy, Lian breathes shallowly. Her shirt clings to her shoulders, water drips down the glass walls. She stands between the tall leaf shelves, rubber boots on the wet floor. A beam of light cuts through the mist and hits her face. She has her eyes closed, waiting until the fog settles just right.
The setting
Tropical section in the palm house, concrete floor gleaming with condensation, plant leaves cast soft shadows, glass roof with dripping traces.
Who she is
Die Botanikerin
Lian is 26 and looks after the ferns and screw pines in the Palm House. She often stays longer after the guests have left. Today, she simply kept the linen shirt on after watering. Because of the damp fabric and the misty backlight, it feels less like work and more like stillness. The shoot happens naturally because she feels alone and undisturbed in this light.
Her world
In a tropical palm house, the air is kept constantly between about 22 and 28 degrees Celsius, barely cooler at night, so that palms and other tropical plants do not experience temperature shocks[1].
The humidity there practically never falls below 70 percent, a moisture level at which glass surfaces fog and fabric feels immediately damp as soon as you move[1].
Tropical plants come from regions where relative humidity often ranges between 60 and 90 percent; the palm house reproduces exactly this range technically so that leaves stay lush green and large[11].
A short glossary
Palm House
Large greenhouse with glass walls that maintains a tropical climate of about 22 to 28 degrees Celsius and a humidity above 70 percent for palms and other tropical plants[1].
Spiral Tree (Pandanus)
Tropical plant from warm, humid regions, grows in full sun to partial shade, prefers consistently moist soils and forms characteristic aerial roots[7][8][10].
Relative Humidity
Percentage indicating how much water vapor the air contains compared to its maximum at a given temperature; tropical plants typically thrive between 60 and 90 percent[6][11].
Hygrometer
Device that displays relative humidity in percent and is used in plant collections to keep the climate precisely within the desired tropical range[11].
