Nature
US company sells glowing houseplants
A firefly petunia. The houseplant can glow in the dark thanks to the genes of a species of glowing mushroom. photo
© Light Bio/dpa
The first houseplant that glows green in the dark comes onto the market in the USA. The petunia owes its bioluminescence to the genes of a fungus.
White in the light but glowing in the dark: A US company is now selling a genetically modified plant that glows at night. During the day, the flowers of the garden petunia are inconspicuous, but when darkness falls, they shimmer in a soft green, as the Idaho company Light Bio promises.
The plant, which its inventors named the firefly petunia, is available for $29 (approximately 27 euros) plus shipping, but will only be released in… to be delivered in spring.
“Its calming light is created from living energy and cultivates a deeper connection with the inner workings of the plant,” explains Bio Light. The invention is based on inserting genes from a glowing fungus (Neonothopanus nambi) into the petunia’s genome. There is no need for special light or fertilizer to make the plant bioluminescent. The firefly petunia was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in September and, according to the manufacturer, glows more brightly with good care and sufficient sunlight.
Does the plant disturb your sleep?
According to the science magazine “Nature”, it is not bright enough to disturb your sleep at night. This type of petunia was chosen because it is widespread as an ornamental plant in the United States, but is not actually native and is not considered an invasive species. The risk of the modified genes spreading to native plants is correspondingly small. Even if there is great skepticism about genetic manipulation in parts of the population, experts do not see any safety concerns with the plant, according to “Nature”.
Genetic engineering is already changing the genome of organisms in many areas of life, for example in agriculture. It involves techniques for changing the genetic makeup of cells, including the transfer of genes across species to create improved or new organisms. New DNA is obtained either by isolating and copying the genetic material or through artificial synthesis.