Rose Nebula

In the 24^th century, the deep-space exploring warp-ship, Wyldspace, explores what is originally thought to be a nebula of ionized gasses and mineral dusts. To the surprise of the crew, they find quite by accident that the useful green goo enzyme they found in a previous adventure, is quickly dissolved away from the surfaces of their exploration shuttle craft, where it was used as a friction-reducing thermal shield. The gaseous material of the nebula actually passes around particles of the green goo and seems to not only absorb it, but actually want more.
A frightening encounter occurs as the 3-man crew of the shuttle find that the nebula particles are actively breaking in to their vehicle and searching for something. Gaseous tentacles explore every nook and cranny they can find, including the crewmen who have retreated into their individual encounter suits fearing a hull breach would kill them all as the air bleeds away. It looks like the tentacles will breach the men's suits despite their best attempts to hastily program defenses against this bizarre threat.
That is when other tentacles find what they sought, the storage container of more green goo. The gaseous yet somehow cohesive tentacles siphon the enzyme into a root structure of vessels. The gasses and dust take on an appearance resembling a tree or rope of intertwined vines.
The shuttle is released by the inquisitive tentacles as nothing of any further interest. The crewmen make a hasty retreat to the small armada of weaponized shuttles which the main ship had assembled while the worried Captain and crew watched the ordeal.
Now safe, they have an idea.
A cargo tug is assembled with a large quantity of the green goo. It circles the nebula and deposits droplets of green goo in space, floating into the nebula from different angles. It absorbs and digests the treat. Nutrients funnel through the nebula from one end to the other, and finally the opposite end seems to flower into an enormous red rose, or rather a collection of gasses and minerals that bear life similar to plant life on many planets. It only needed the proper nutrients to flourish.