How do red leafed maple tees preform photosynthesis? Chloroplasts are green so do they not have them? Or are they just a different color.
In: Biology
Quite simply, red leaf trees still have clorophyll. They just have an abundance of anthocyanins that make them appear red when we look at them, but they still perform photosynthesis with the contained clorophyll like any other green leaf trees would. In fact, if your plant a red maple in a shaded or darker area in your yard, the leaves don’t appear as vibrantly red, but more of a dark muddy color, because the tree has to produce more clorophyll to perform photosynthesis, and more of the green light is reflected (along with the already present anthocyanins reflecting red light), and as we know red + green light is a muddy brown. For the brightest most vibrant red color to your Japanese Red Maples, plant them in full sun, so they can survive with minimal clorophyll.
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