Rainforest understory shrub showing a new top whorl of leaves. As this shrub grows, it produces a new layer of young leaves of a different colour. The

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Rainforest understory shrub showing a new top whorl of leaves. As this shrub grows, it produces a new layer of young leaves of a different colour. These light brown leaves are deficient in chlorophyll, a green pigment necessary for photosynthesis. As the leaves mature, chlorophyll is laid down in the leaf chloroplasts; the leaves then turn green and become fully functional in the photosynthetic process. Many rainforest plant species produce new leaves in this way. Photographed at Jatun Sacha, Ecuador.

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Size: 3605px × 4925px
Photo credit: © DR MORLEY READ/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: botany, chlorophyll, deficiency, flora, growth, leaf, leaves, nature, plant, plants, rainforest, set