List of Top 7 Glowing Flowers in the World

Flowers have always captivated human beings through their colors, shapes, and scents, but some flowers are even more fascinating - they glow. Glowing flowers may sound magical, but there are underlying scientific reasons! Certain flowers glow in the dark or under ultra violet light due to natural pigments, reflective surfaces, or fluorescent compounds. But the glowing effect is not just for beauty.

They are important ecologically, especially in attracting nocturnal pollinators such as moths and bats. From the mysterious Ghost Orchid to the beautiful Queen of the Night, every glowing flower uses its glow as a means to survive. Lucky for us, we all get to see this radiant beauty! In this article, we will talk about the top five glowing flowers and the science behind their glow.

Check Out: List of Top 10 Glowing Plants in the World

Top 7 Glowing Flowers in the World

Here are the top 7 glowing flowers in the world, along with the reason behind their glow: 

Why do Flowers Glow? Science Explained! 

Here are a few scientific reasons why these top 5 glowing flowers do so: they are fluorescent in appearance due to UV fluorescence, they appear glowing due to moonlight reflectivity, reflectivity of the petals, may display photoluminescence, or incorporate fluorescent compounds that help with pollination:

1. Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)

The Ghost Orchid does not glow by itself; however, it may appear to glow due to UV fluorescence. The white flowers specifically reflect ultraviolet light, which provides visibility in deeper shade/low-light areas of the forest. 

The spectral glow is crucial to attracting nocturnal pollinators such as moths, who utilize both moonlight and ultraviolet cues to navigate. The appearance of the flowers in low-light conditions contributed to the plant's moniker of "ghostly."

2. Night-Blooming Jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum)

The glow exhibited by Night-Blooming Jasmine is due to photoluminescence. Under moonlight or artificial UV light sources, the light greenish-white petals reflect light strongly, producing the illusion of a soft glow. 

This increases the visibility of Night-Blooming Jasmine at night when the plant is incidentally emitting the strong-smelling perfume.  The combination of scent and luminous appearance ensures that nocturnal pollinators, such as moths, are efficiently attracted to the plant for reproductive effectiveness.

3. Firefly Petal Orchid (Epidendrum radicans)

This type of orchid emits a faint glow as a result of the fluorescent compounds in its petals. These compounds absorb light from ambient light sources, especially ultraviolet light, then emit that light at a longer wavelength that humans can see, causing the flower to glow in low light.

Although this fluorescence should not be confused with bioluminescence, it does serve to increase visibility in a low-light environment, enhancing this orchid's ability to attract its pollinators, such as butterflies and moths, in the low-light conditions typical of its native Central and South American habitats during early morning, late afternoon or shaded conditions similar to those of a tropical forest.

4. Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)

Evening Primrose glimmers in the night because the petals are reflective. The yellow capsule in the petal reflects the moonlight available at night. Combined with its nocturnal blooming schedule, this reflectance function allows nocturnal pollinators, like hawk moths, to quickly find the flower during the dark. 

The fast bloom time in the evening contributes to this glowing effect as well, since fresh and reflective petals are at their most colorful during the peak pollination period.

5. Queen of the Night (Epiphyllum oxypetalum)

This flower is white and reflects moonlight; thus, it is said to glow. Its large, waxy petals know how to catch and reflect light more effectively than darker blooms do, allowing it to appear radiant at night when it blooms once a year.

 Its combination of fragrance and glow promotes pollinator attention from moths and bats. Blooming once a year at night, this glowing strategy maximizes the Queen of the Night's chances for reproduction.