Where are plastids seen ? Explain its type and functions in short.

Explanation

Plastids are found in all plant cells and in euglenoides.
These are easily observed under the microscope as they are large.
They bear some specific pigments, thus imparting specific colours to the plants.
Based on the type of pigments plastids can be clasified into three types
(a) Chloroplasts (b) Chromoplasts and (c) Leucoplasts.
(a) Chloroplasts : The chloroplasts contain chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments which are responsible for trapping light energy essential for photosynthesis.
(b) Chromoplasts : In the chromoplasts fat soluble carotenoid pigments like carotene, xanthophylls and others are present. This gives the part of the plant a yellow, orange or red colour.
(c) Leucoplasts : The leucoplasts are the colourless plastids of varied shapes and sizes with stored nutrients.
(i) Amyloplasts : Store carbohydrates e.g., potato
(ii) Elaioplasts : Store oils and fats
(iii) Aleuroplasts : Store proteins.