Lung Vine

Lung Vine is a species of fast-growing twining vine that is common to starships across human space. Genetically engineered by parties unknown in the early 2100s, it was designed to produce broad pleasant looking leaves and wide variety of colours and shapes of flowers whilst minimising on the amount of pollen produced. Crucially, the plant was also engineered to have an ultra-efficient system of photosynthesis to produce as much oxygen as possible and many variants also perform rudimentary air filtration as well.
In modern era, there are two broad types of the plant. The first is designed to be grown in dense racks as part of a civilian ship’s hydroponics bay or as part of an oxygen garden as part of an organic regenerating life support system. Here the plant is intended to twine around lighting tubes to maximise the amount of light the plant receives. The second type is a looser, sparser plant designed to hang from racks, nets, trellis or grids placed along the walls of corridors or other interior spaces of a starship. This second type is also designed to produce more flowers, and many are bred to produce pleasant smells.
Whilst during the late 2100s there was a fad for fruit producing Lung Vines, it was discovered that this inhibited their air filtration abilities and after a number of high profile incidents where passengers aboard long duration space cruises got ill from eating the fruit from Lung Vines in areas of relatively high atmospheric contamination (near kitchens, living areas etc.) the practice was largely abandoned. The general practice is to semi-regularly prune the vine and compost the resulting biomass. This then serves as food for the new vine and processes the contaminates it has captured into a safe, valuable resource for the ship.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Large twining vine with broad leaves, often incorporating many small coloured flowers. Well suited to a wide variety of gravitational regimes, and requires little in the way of nutrients beyond water and light.

Scientific Name

Hedra Pulmonem