Effects of Ornamental Foliage Plants on Thermal Environment and Comfort inside Room

—Experimental Analysis in Spring and Summer—

Abstract

In order to investigate the effects of ornamental foliage plants on the thermal environment and comfort inside a room, experiments were carried out in a room in Ehime University in the spring and summer of 1997. In the spring experiments, environmental factors in five treatments by the combination of kinds of ornamental foliage plants and arrangement were measured and analyzed. The ornamental foliage plants were Schefflera arboricola “Hong Kong” and Dracaena fragrans “Massangeana.” In our previous experiments, the former had shown the highest transpiration rate and the latter had shown little transpiration. The evapotranspiration during 7: 00 and 18: 00 of Schefflera arboricola “Hong Kong” in line at the window was 781 g⋅pot^-1, which contributed to the estimated increase in relative humidity of 26%. An amenity effect by the increase in humidity by ornamental foliage plants can be expected in spring as well as in winter. In the summer experiments, environmental factors in four treatments were measured and analyzed. The evapotranspiration during 6: 00 and 18: 00 of Dracaena fragrans “Massangeana” interspersed in the room was 172 g⋅pot^-1 and the increase in relative humidity was estimated to be 3%. This result indicates that an undesirable increase in humidity can be prevented by the appropriate choice and arrangement of ornamental foliage plants.