wardian case

Terrarium or more correctly called a vivarium, is an inclosed space that may harbor flora and fauna. Formally, a terrarium is defined by a dry habitat that houses life that is housed under glass that allows for a proper misting, condensation, and water cycle that promotes growth. Earliest forms of glass homes that housed plants indoors were called a Wardian Case, these became popular in the early 19th century to house foreign plants that were not domestic to the surrounding region, specifically ferns. The case was usually made from glass and steel in a rectangular box or cathedral top, and was designed to protect the plants from the noxious air of the industrial revolution. As popularity increased the the shape and sizes of the Wardian case changed over time, it developed in to vases, cloches, bottles, and pilfered apothecary jars.  Notable plants that were popularized in the containers were mainly fern in variety which started pteridomania, meaning fern madness. The craze extended so deeply into the United Kingdom that the need for greenhouses and conservatories (likened to large Wardian cases) were built to house all the collected plants.