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THE LINNEAN HOUSE

Built in 1882, the Linnean House is the oldest continuously operated public greenhouse west of the Mississippi River. It is the only remaining greenhouse at the Garden that was built during Henry Shaw’s day. It was designed by noted architect George I. Barnett, as were its two “sister” greenhouses in Tower Grove Park, the palm house and the plant house.

The Linnean House was originally designed to be an “orangerie,” a house to overwinter citrus trees, palms and tree ferns. These large potted plants provided bold accents in the outdoor gardens throughout the summer, and were brought in each winter.

The house underwent a major renovation shortly after World War I, its purpose shifting from a warm overwintering house to a cool display greenhouse. Three hundred loads of soil were brought in to create the planting beds on either side of the path. The fountain in the center of the house was created from native limestone to resemble a natural spring along the Meramec River. The half-slate, half-glass roof was replaced with an all-glass roof. Plantings included many conifers, heaths, azaleas, rhododendrons and a camellia or two.

After an especially heavy hailstorm in 1927 damaged the roof, the lower third section of glass was removed, and was replaced by asphalt tiling. A major renovation in the early 1980’s replaced these tiles with slate and restored the roof to look similar to its original design of 1882.

Camellias became prominent in the house during the 1930’s and several of the trees planted at that time are still present: Camellia japonica ‘Chandler’ (Elegans) and two specimens of Camellia japonica ‘Nobilissima’.  Two specimens of Camellia japonica ‘Professor Charles S. Sargent’ and Camellia japonica ‘Claudia Lee’ appear to date to the 1940’s. The majority of the approximately 80 camellia trees displayed in the Linnean House date to the 1960’s and 70’s.

Camellias have been cultivated for at least two thousand years for their enormous economic value.  They are native to Southeast Asia, primarily southern China and Japan. Tea comes from the leaves of Camellia sinensis.  The young leaves are crushed, partially fermented, and then dried. Chinese green tea comes from the same plant, but the leaves are not fermented.

The camellia blossoms are very showy from Christmas through early April, with the peak of bloom arriving from mid to late February. Contrary to popular belief, most camellias have no scent at all. The exceptions are the fall blooming sasanqua types, but even these cannot compete with the heady aroma of the fragrant olive trees (Osmanthus fragrans). These large trees, planted in the 1940’s, provide the Linnean House with its signature scent from fall through spring. Sweetly scented pink jasmine vines (Jasminum polyanthemum) bloom in March and April, and star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) fills the house with fragrance in May.

The creeping fig vine (Ficus pumila) that covers the back (north) wall was also planted during the 1940’s, providing a luxurious green backdrop to illuminate the colorful camellia blossoms.

The merbaby statue in the center of the pool is very popular among children who visit the Linnean House. Sculpted in 1939 by Wheeler Williams, this statue depicts the Greek goddess Amphitrite as a merbaby. The statue was placed in the Linnean House in 1986. It is often decorated with fallen blossoms.

The Linnean House is maintained as a cool greenhouse, ranging from 42 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the wintertime. In the summer, the glass is whitewashed to shade the camellias. This whitewash gradually wears off in the rain and snow of fall and winter, providing the house with sunshine to warm winter visitors. While colorful flowers are found in the beds beneath the camellias year-round, peak times to visit this house are from January through April.

The Missouri Botanical Garden’s mission is “to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment, in order to preserve and enrich life.”  Today, 150 years after opening, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a center for science and conservation, education and horticultural display.

11/3/08