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We show that seedlings respond to the vectorial sum of transduced signals rather than to the physical sum of incident light, which can create systematic deviations between maximal physical illumination and growth direction, akin to optical illusions. This framework further predicts that symmetrical, opposing cues cancel each other out, which we validate experimentally using a weaker symmetry-breaking light source.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2614473123","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T16:12:31Z","timestamp":1790093551000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.cm10313","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Nonlinear distributed sensing of light patterns leads to perceptual distortions in plants"],"prefix":"10.1073","volume":"123","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-2741-783X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahron","family":"Kempinski","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04mhzgx49","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"School of Plant Science and Food Security, The George S. 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