By Sam Stoothoff
SPOKANE, WA— In a popular Spokane cafe, one resilient ficus is still alive despite being unwatered for over a year. Reports suggest that since plant-loving barista Jacqueline Fraiser left the cafe in late 2017, the ficus has been forgotten entirely.
We hit the scene to get eyes on the inspiring tree and the crew that had ignored it for so very long. “We have a plant in that corner?” asked barista Sam McAllister, looking around. “Oh, yeah, look at that.”
While ficus trees are renowned for their resilience, area botanist Kathryn Reus was surprised to hear how one had survived for this long. “It’s remarkable really. They typically require semi-frequent mistings and a humid environment. For one to go so long without any water at all is almost a miracle.”
The plant in question—though still going strong—does show distinct signs of strain, including reduced foliage and leaf spotting.
Former barista Fraiser now lives across the country. When reached for a comment, she said, “I told Sam to water that sweet plant! I left a note with a schedule and everything.”
It is still unclear whether the remaining baristas have any plans to begin caring for the plant again, though after hearing about the ficus’s plight several horticulturally-inclined customers volunteered their services—some even going as far as setting up a facebook group titled, “Save Franny the Ficus”.
This story is still developing; please stay tuned for updates.
Sam Stoothoff is currently living the dream in Brooklyn. His credits include the occasional good tweet that can be found @sam_stache.
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