with Brownie
If you were a fan of the sci-fi movie Avatar, soon you might be able to have a little bit of Pandora in your garden.
Authorities in the United States have recently approved a plant for sale that glows in the dark … just like the Tree of Souls in Avatar.
Botanical engineers in London have managed to fuse genetic material from a bioluminescent mushroom into a common garden petunia, creating something that could have come straight from the pages of Alice in Wonderland.
So before long, you’ll be able to buy a glow-in-the-dark petunia which the creators describe as a “soft glow similar to moonlight”.
The trans-genetic petunia – called Firefly Petunia – has white flowers and can be grown in pots or in gardens without any special care needs. They can also be grown indoors in a spot with lots of natural light.
But they won’t come cheap, with the company marketing them – LightBio – giving a retail price level of US$29 per pot – that’s about $44 Australian at the current exchange rate.
But just like any new technology or fad, the price will come down as the market adjusts and more plants come into the market.
But don’t go looking for them at Bunnings just yet. They’ll have to go through the same rigorous approvals process before they are deemed safe to let loose in the Australia environment. But I’ll let you know when that happens.
(Images courtesy of LightBio https://light.bio).