Glow-in-the-dark plants

Surely when you were younger you liked those stickers that were put on the bedroom wall, usually in the shapes of stars and constellations that when the light in the room was turned off they glowed in the dark. But make no mistake, today we still like things that glow in the dark, they seem different to us and allow us to see things when at first we could not by our own methods.

That is why plants that glow in the dark seem so fascinating to us because, in addition to decorating your home during the day, they can also be perfect for the dark. Plants that naturally glow in the dark are called bioluminescence. Bioluminescence is the ability to live things to transmit light. It’s just wonderful, would you like to know a little more about glow-in-the-dark plants? Then keep reading this article.

Olive mushroom

The olive mushroom plant (also known as Omphalotus olearius) is a yellow mushroom that resembles some chanterelles. This plant has an enzyme that differentiates it from other plants called luciferase, and the gills of the mushroom glow in the dark.

This mushroom is poisonous (like most glow-in-the-dark mushrooms) and can cause cramps and vomiting. This glow-in-the-dark plant is beautiful to see but not to touch.

The ghost mushroom

The ghost mushroom is also known as Nidiformis Omphalotus and is a fungus that can be found in South Australia and Tasmania.

It usually grows on dead trees and is actually a parasite although it looks like a mushroom. At night it can be seen as it glows in orange, brown, bluish tones, purple, and even white.

Glowing Plant

The above two examples are simply a sample of how bioluminescence exists in nature. The human being knows it and what he wants is to reproduce it with a project called “Glowing Plant” which consists of a synthetic biology project that is inspired by the glow of fireflies.

Try buying plant seeds that carry the luciferase gene, which would make them glow in the dark. Can you imagine replacing the light from the bulbs with natural light thanks to the plants? Although that would still be a long way off and science has a lot to advance, no doubt today we expect anything.