Coloured and colourless plastids

The idea

Chromoplasts are plastids with yellow, orange or red pigments other than chlorophyll that colour flowers and fruits; leucoplasts are colourless plastids that store starch, oils or proteins and are classified by the food they store.

Red tomatoes and white potatoes

Leaves are green because of chlorophyll. But flowers are bright, tomatoes are red, and potatoes are pale.

How do flowers and fruits get their bright colours?

• Plastids with other pigments
• They are painted by the sun
• They have no plastids at all

Look inside

Look inside a petal, a fruit, a potato and a taro.

Two more kinds of plastid

Chromoplasts are plastids with yellow, orange or red pigments other than chlorophyll. They colour flowers and fruits. Leucoplasts are colourless plastids that store starch, oils or proteins, and are classified by the food they store.

Bright colours attract pollinators for pollination and fruit-eating animals that help seed dispersal.

• Plastid | Colour and job
• Chromoplast | yellow, orange or red pigments; colour flowers and fruits
• Leucoplast | colourless; store starch, oils or proteins (potato, taro)

Notes

Chromoplasts have yellow, orange or red pigments and colour flowers and fruits. Leucoplasts are colourless and store starch, oils or proteins.

Check yourself

The Greek word *chroma* means…

Why are bright flowers and fruits useful to the plant?

Leucoplasts in potato cells store…

• colour — correct. Yes. Chromoplasts are the coloured plastids.
• white. *Leukos* means white.
• food. Neither word means food.
• They attract pollinators and animals that spread seeds — correct. Yes.
• They help the plant stay upright. The wall does that.
• They stop photosynthesis. Not the reason.
• starch — correct. Yes.
• chlorophyll. They are colourless.
• red pigment. That is chromoplasts.