Why don't onion cells have chloroplasts?

Answer by  Hers (32)

Cells from the onion, the part that is typically used from a yellow onion, are from the bulb. Since the bulb is underground and not meant to create energy for the plant, chloroplast is typically absent from these cells. The leafy part of the plant has cells that contain chloroplast

Answer by  Irene (104)

The onions we eat are considered bulbs, which are parts of certain plant which is found underground. Bulbs store energy for the plant in the form of starch and being underground, are not exposed to the sun and therefore do not require chloroplasts in order to photosynthesize.

Answer by  JojoCircus (34)

Chloroplasts are organelles used to convert light energy into chemical energy. Onions grow as an underground bulb and aren't ever exposed to light, so you wouldn't expect to find chloroplasts in an onion.

Answer by  Olenka (176)

Chloroplasts are used to do photosynthesis, ie to convert the sunlight to energy, but onions grow in the ground so chloroplasts would be useless.

Answer by  labgirl (333)

The bulb of the onion plant - what we think of and eat as the onion - grows underground, where sunlight does not reach. Therefore, there is no need for chloroplasts in that part of the onion plant. The onion has chloroplasts in the green stalk above the soil, and those chloroplasts feed the whole plant through the phloem.

Answer by  Anonymous

Onion cells do not have chloroplasts because the plant would need sunlight to develop that part of a cell. Onions are grown underground and do not get any sunlight during their growing process.