Plant Lovers Are Now Buying These Unique Houseplants That Actually 'Glow In The Dark'

Fans of Avatar have long dreamed about escaping into its lush, imaginary fantasyland illuminated by surreal, glowing plants. The scene where Neytiri and Jake marry under the glowing Tree of Souls left millions ogle-eyed with fascination. This dream is no longer limited to science fiction thanks to a special gene named “N. Nambi” that emits a ghostly green light as soon as the sky turns dark. A team of Russian researchers discovered N. Nambi in bioluminescent mushrooms while combing the dense rainforests of South Vietnam.

They isolated these glow-radiating genes using genetic engineering and inserted them into petunias. As the “living energy” of N. Nambi released its magical cocktail of chemicals inside, the petunias came alive and lit up in a mesmerizing glow after dusk. Dubbed “Firefly Petunias,” these glowing plants are now sold in the U.S. by a company named Light Bio, a synthetic biology startup in Sun Valley, Idaho, according to a press release.

According to its official website, Light Bio uses advanced genetic engineering to bring “the magic of living light to ornamental horticulture.” Their remarkable product “Firefly Petunias” is now available for order in the U.S. at $39.99 plus shipping charges. The product comes with a pack of three young plants together with care instructions, watering tips, and paper sleeves for protection. The product is also listed in TIME’s “Best Inventions 2024.” Details of the product were documented in the journal Nature Methods.

Bioluminescence, WIRED explains, is a natural process in which a substance called luciferin comes in contact with oxygen. An enzyme called luciferase supports the interaction between the two substances to produce energy in the form of light. These chemical reactions occurring inside the plant cells are exactly the science that operates behind the luminous aura of all bioluminescent plants.

Light Bio blows the trumpet by asserting that their product “Firefly Petunias” is the “only plant you see when lights go off.” The ethereal green glow these plants project resembles the light of a full moon, so soothing and meditative that it will keep you awake and up through the night in utter fascination. "Nature's own light show," as the company calls it on Instagram. The idea of “bioengineered glowing plants” goes way back in time, even before Avatar hit the screen. In 1986, some scientists experimented by injecting the genes of fireflies into some plants to see if they would glow.

Indeed, the plants glowed in the dark, but the glow was quite faint. The scientists estimated that the plants needed more plant food to fuel the chemical reaction, resulting in the afterglow. But in the case of Light Bio’s glowing petunias, the plants don’t need any extra food thanks to N. Nambi. During the day, N. Nambi is an ordinary gene trapped in the dead wood and tree bark of the brown-colored mushroom nicknamed “Ghost Ear Fungi.” But as night sets in, the plant sheds its drab façade and smoulders into a radiant green glow, illuminating the surroundings like a gleaming cluster of neon green fairy lights.

But what exactly is the scientific process that goes on behind the scenes, which results in this dreamlike shower of sparkle? According to Scientific American, the light-emitting reaction between N. Nambi and the petunia’s body is carried out with the support of a molecule of “caffeic acid.” When researchers inserted N. Nambi from the glowing mushrooms into the plant bodies and the two came in contact with each other, the petunias started producing an enzyme that can convert caffeic acid into a molecule called luciferin, which is responsible for emitting the light.

To retain the luminescence, the enzyme also converted luciferin back to caffeic acid as part of the process. Light Bio chose only petunia to insert N. Nambi because it is “one of the most popular ornamental plants in the world,” according to the press release. Plus, they breed and propagate easily and much more rapidly than other plants. And the denser the plant, the brighter the glow. Researchers compared “Firefly Petunia” to the “glowing purple tomatoes” created by inserting snapdragon genes into tomato plants.