[5][6] The small fungus is saprotrophic, meaning it gains nutrients from decaying organic matter and appears on stressed or dying plants, often found on rotting wood and twigs.

[8] In the first descriptions of the mushroom, Stevenson noted the caps were "pink fading yellowish, hemispherical with a shallow central umbilicus."

[9] According to New Zealand Fungarium curator Dr. Maj Padamsee, "It could have been found before but it just hadn’t been recorded – people who had been out in the forest might have seen something because it’s not very bright… it’s a very pale light colour."

The enzymes produced from the compound luciferin gives the mushrooms their glow, as it also does with fireflies and some marine organisms.

[10][5] The discovery of bioluminescence was made during an event dedicated to studying fungus that took place on Stewart Island.