Glow-In-The-Dark Succulent Plants Sound Dreamy—but Come With A Dark Side

What if, instead of adding a nightlight to a bedroom or dark hallway, your favorite houseplants could light the way? While firefly petunias that emit a soft glow have been available for some time, vivid glow-in-the-dark succulents may be just around the corner. According to a 2025 study published in the journal Matter, researchers have found a way to create ultra-bright glow-in-the-dark plants by injecting micron-sized afterglow phosphorescent chemicals into succulents. The research team achieved solar recharging benefits and multicolor luminescence, potentially paving the way for further plant-based lighting innovations. However, some critics argue that this is a short-lived gimmick, no different from injecting a glow stick into a plant.

Many succulents are fast-growing, low-maintenance houseplants and typically only need watering every couple of weeks. The addition of a glow-in-the-dark substance – similar to what's found in toy or paint – could offer even more versatility for decorating, allowing the succulents to absorb light and then slowly re-emit it for a glow effect.

If you're ready to line the bedside table with glowing succulents so that you can read at night, it might require more plants than you think. During their study, researchers built a wall of 56 succulents for practical applicability. This large number of plants allowed for enough illumination to read text and make out facial features when subjects were positioned 3 to 10 centimeters away from the wall. Using only one or two plants is unlikely to produce the same effects, which means you'd need to fill a large space with these glowing succulents to reap similar effects to a bedside lamp.

Unlike bioluminescent petunias that are genetically engineered to give off a glow, the injection of afterglow chemicals into the studied succulents is short-lived, only lasting around 25 days. Even when recharged by the sun or regular household light, the succulents only glowed for about two hours at a time, which is far to short to replace a standard nightlight.

While glowing succulents could be the next plant trend, they remain in the research phase and aren't available on store shelves yet. Many questions still remain to be answered, including how the injected chemicals affect the plants long-term and what happens to the afterglow particles during the plants' disposal. Until further research is complete, adding regular indoor succulents to your houseplant collection will have to suffice.