Why are leaves green?

mk2norwich

Leaves, and other vegetation, are green due to the presence of chlorophyll, the substance which basically makes things green in colour. Chlorophyll absorbs the red and violet parts of sunlight, but reflects the green, thus giving plants their characteristic hue. Oct 05 03, 6:27 AM

sequoianoir

Because they contain Chlorophyll (most of the time) which is green. Chlorophyll reflects this frequency/wavelength of the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and absorbs all the others. That is why anything is the colour that it is! Oct 05 03, 6:27 AM

richard_n413

Chlorophyll is the green pigment found in chloroplasts, the part of the leaf that absorbs light for photosynthesis. "Chlorophyll absorbs the red and violet parts of sunlight, but reflects the green, thus giving plants their characteristic hue" does answer the question somewhat, as the leaf only needs to absorb certain wavelengths of light, so what you see is the unnecessary (waste?!) light reflected from the leaf. That's my understanding of it anyway. I got a bit of info from Wikipedia, though. Apr 13 07, 11:51 AM

DPISHERE

It is due to chlorophyll. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyll Feb 16 09, 2:30 PM

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On a similar note to egg colours, why is it that plants of the same species have different coloured stems and leaves? I am growing beans, some plants are light green others are dark. Why? Why is the grass green? Why do leaves change colors in the fall? If all the parts (stem, leaves, flowers) of broccoli are green, is it because of chlorophyll? And if so, does it mean that all the parts of the broccoli make their own food?

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