Chromoplast
From Free net encyclopedia
Chromoplasts are plastids responsible for pigment synthesis and storage. They, like all other plastids (including chloroplasts and leucoplasts), are organelles found only in plants.
When leaves change color in autumn, it is the result of the conversion of chloroplasts into chromoplasts. They are also found in ripened fruit and flower petals, to which they give their distinctive colors.
Chromoplasts synthesize and store pigments such as orange carotenes, yellow xanthophylls and various other red pigments; as such, their color varies depending on what pigment they contain. They were probably discovered around 1900. Some of their pigments function in trapping sunlight for energy.
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