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The basis for the new plant is the poisonous rainforest mushroom Neonothopanus nambi from South America. It naturally has a bright bioluminescent glow, and its genes were able to be placed in a variety of plants in laboratory conditions. However, the light in these hybrids was dim, so it took several years to find the right solution.
In the end, working with fungus eukaryotes allowed scientists to create what has been called “self-sustaining luminescence”. The light became brighter by about 100 times, it is clearly visible to human vision in the dark. And it is beautiful, even mysterious, with the otherwise modified petunia remaining an otherwise ordinary and safe houseplant.
