There is a very beautiful scene in the movie “Avatar”, that is, there are many glowing plants in the forest. These luminous plants look amazing in the dark night. Does this strange phenomenon only appear in movies? Are there plants that glow in nature?
There are many luminous animals in nature, but not many luminous plants, which are generally limited to bacteria, basidiomycetes and flagella. These plants are generally small in size. For example, there is a kind of luminous mushroom called honey fungus which is commonly known as hazel mushroom. In the dark wilderness, the honey fungus is like candlelight on the ground. There is also a kind of forest fungus called Scutellaria, if the surrounding climate is more suitable, it will be like little fireflies shining. As for why they emit light, no conclusion has been reached so far. Perhaps it is a function that has evolved for their own survival.
In Africa, there is a plant called “luminous tree”, which can see light every night. Someone has studied this plant, and their roots contain a lot of phosphorus. Phosphorus can produce light when it touches oxygen in the air. The brightness of the tree is closely related to the size of the tree. If the tree plant is small, the light will not be obvious; if the tree is tall, it will have obvious brightness.
In Cuba, there is a flower called “Queen of the Night”, which is also bright at night. According to analysis, the stamens of this kind of flowers are rich in phosphorus, and the shiny stamens can attract more flying insects to pollinate them at night.
In fact, most of these plants that emit light have been found to contain phosphorous, calcium fluoride, and phosphorescent powders, which are the reason why plants emit light at night. A scientific research company in the United States reportedly created plants that can glow at night based on the ability of plants to absorb phosphorus. I hope that in the near future, everyone can see the same scene as “Avatar”. There is also luminous plant lighting when walking at night. What a wonderful picture this will be!
