The Wardian keyring

Thanks to Gizmodo for this post about a new form of keyring (keychain if you're American) that consists of a tiny cactus or succulent inside a miniature plastic globe. The growing medium looks as if it's prevented from shifting about by a plastic disk with a hole for the plant to grow through. Apparently they retail for $10 and can be transplanted into a regular pot when they begin to outgrow the dome.

The idea of growing plants inside a sealed environment isn't a new one.  Gizmodo (perhaps not a regular user of botanic terminology) incorrectly describes the keyring as an arboretum,  but these inventions actually stem from the Wardian case, which was thought up back in the 1830s. Jenny Uglow writes in her excellent book A Little History of British Gardening:

Dr Nathaniel Ward, an amateur naturalist, had noticed that a tiny fern grew perfectly in one of the glass jars he used to pupate caterpillars: it was sealed, and the moisture condensed by day and returned to the plant by night. He developed larger cases to transport plants, providing a sealed environment protected from the salt and winds and extremes of temperature that had ruined so many specimens in the past.

There's a little more on the history of Wardian cases at Terrariums.net. The only problem I can foresee is that, if like most people, your keys spend a lot of time buried in a deep and usually hard-to-locate corner of your bag, or in your pocket, the plants won't thrive.

Comments

[Paul]

Interesting, but likely won't take off unless the plant dances (or at least moves) to some cute tunes.

[Michelle]

Where can i get one of those plant key rings???

[debbie Holler]

Where can I buy the Wardian Keyring please and how much do they cost?

[Tiffany]

hi! i just wanted to say that i think this is really cool because my last name is wardian and it fascinates me that there is all this stuff that has my name but it isn't even by someone who has the same last name as me. I am pretty sure that no body cares that my last name is marginally famous so i guess that i will stop talking now. thanx bye