Like many of my lamps this one is science fiction inspired. I imagine what a flower growing on a metallic world would look like and this came to mind. Germanium and Tin are elements below Carbon and Silicon in the periodic table and have properties like carbon, like the ability to make 4 covalent bonds. 4 covalent bonds are considered essential for key macromolecule classes like DNA and Proteins to exist. They also have metallic properties, like tin being pliable for example. Some scientists believe that evolution could exist outside of carbon based life.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20906-life-like-cells-are-made-of-metal/
