These Glow-in-the-Dark Succulents Might Change Your Night time Light

Scientists have discovered a strategy to flip odd succulents into residing night time lights by infusing them with particular glowing compounds.

After just some minutes of daylight or LED publicity, these crops can shine for hours in shades of inexperienced, crimson, or blue — vivid sufficient to light up close by objects and even learn by.

Nature’s Own Glow

From mushrooms that forged a comfortable inexperienced glow to plankton that glimmers glowing blue, glowing crops are nothing new for nature. Now, scientists are bringing that gentle to houseplants.

Reporting within the Cell Press journal Matter on August 27, researchers crafted glow-in-the-dark succulents that recharge in daylight. Injected with light-emitting compounds, the crops can shine in numerous colours and rival a small night time gentle at their brightest. The easy, low-cost technique could assist lay the muse for sustainable, plant-based lighting programs.

“Picture the world of Avatar, where glowing plants light up an entire ecosystem,” says first creator Shuting Liu of South China Agricultural University. “We wanted to make that vision possible using materials we already work with in the lab. Imagine glowing trees replacing streetlights.”

The afterglow phosphor particles unfold quickly via a succulent leaf, lighting it up from inside. Credit: Liu et al., Matter

Why Previous Approaches Fell Short

Glowing greenery isn’t a brand new concept. Past research have designed comparable crops utilizing genetic engineering. But the glow is usually faint and is usually solely accessible in inexperienced. The strategies have been additionally complicated and expensive.

Instead of coaxing cells to glow via genetic modification, the group used afterglow phosphor particles—supplies just like these present in glow-in-the-dark toys. These compounds soak up gentle and launch it slowly over time.

For the particles to journey via leaf tissues, the researchers needed to get the dimensions good: round 7 micrometers, roughly the width of a crimson blood cell.

“Smaller, nano-sized particles move easily within the plant but are dimmer,” says Liu. “Larger particles glowed brighter but couldn’t travel far inside the plant.”

Succulents Shine the Brightest

The group then injected the particles into a number of plant species, including succulents and non-succulents like golden pothos and bok choy. But only the succulents produced a strong glow, thanks to the narrow, uniform, and evenly distributed channels within the leaf that helped to disperse the particles more effectively. After a couple of minutes of exposure to sunlight or indoor LED light, the modified plants glowed for up to two hours.

“It was really unexpected,” says Liu, noting that she initially thought plants with airy tissue structures would perform better. “The particles diffused in just seconds, and the entire succulent leaf glowed.”

A Spectrum of Colors

By using different types of phosphors, the researchers created plants that shine in various colors, including green, red, and blue. They even built a glowing plant wall with 56 succulents, bright enough to illuminate nearby objects and read texts.

“Each plant takes about 10 minutes to prepare and costs a little over 10 yuan (about $1.4), not including labor,” says Liu.

The glowing succulents’ light fades over time, and the team is still studying the long-term safety of the materials for the plants. Still, the concept could offer a sustainable alternative for low-intensity lighting in pathways, gardens, or indoor decor. The team is also exploring how the method can light up plants beyond succulents.

A Magical Integration of Science and Nature

“I just find it incredible that an entirely human-made, micro-scale material can come together so seamlessly with the natural structure of a plant,” says Liu. “The way they integrate is almost magical. It creates a special kind of functionality.”

Reference: “Sunlight-powered multicolor and uniform luminescence in material-engineered living plants” by Shuting Liu, Yufei An, Haoran Zhang, Wei Li, Jianle Zhuang, Chaofan Hu, Yingliang Liu, Bingfu Lei, Rui Zou and Xuejie Zhang, 27 August 2025, Matter.
DOI: 10.1016/j.matt.2025.102370

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Guangzhou Science & Technology Project, and the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation.

Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter.