lülüe

Lülüe is a fictional plant genus created for worldbuilding and speculative fiction. It has no basis in real-world botany and is not recognized by actual taxonomic authorities. In many depictions, lülüe refers to a small, bioluminescent shrub native to cool, humid forests of an imagined continent.

Typically, lülüe is described as a 0.5–1.2 meter shrub with slender stems. Leaves are elliptic, 3–7 cm long, and have a glossy, waxy surface with fine serrations along the margins. A defining feature is bioluminescence: cells contain luciferin-like compounds that emit a soft blue-green light after dusk, illuminating the foliage and petioles.

Flowers are small, five-petaled, and pale violet, produced in short clusters; fruit is a dry capsule containing numerous tiny seeds. Lülüe is said to inhabit misty temperate rainforests at mid-elevation in the fictional Valara region, thriving in shaded understory and acidic, nutrient-poor soils. Its ecology is typically described as moth-pollinated, with seed dispersal by wind and small mammals; colonies can form dense understory thickets.

In literature and games, lülüe is valued for its gentle glow and is used as a decorative light source, as well as a symbol of nocturnal life. Some narratives describe its leaves in perfumery or as a fictional medicinal ingredient, though uses vary by author. Taxonomically, the genus Lülüe is placed in the invented family Luluiaceae, with the name often attributed to a fictional language in worldbuilding lore. First described in a 2147 field guide by xenobotanist Kira Mazzin, lülüe remains a construct of imaginative flora.