Question

Onion cells have no chloroplast. How can we tell they are plants?

Answer 1

1. The bulb of an onion is a modified form of leaves.
2. While photosynthesis takes place in the leaves (present above the ground) of an onion containing chloroplast, the little glucose that is produced from this process is converted into starch (starch granules) and stored in the bulb.
3. Starch act as reserved food material in plants.
4. Using an iodine solution, we can test for the presence of starch in onion cells. If starch is present, the iodine changes from brown to blue-black or purple. Hence, we can say that though onion cells have no chloroplast they are considered as plants.