Explore the anatomy of a plant's mesophyll to understand how chlorophyll generates a green appearance

NARRATOR: Look closely at plants. What makes them green? Just like human skin, the leaves of plants have an outer layer called the epidermis. In plants the epidermis is made up of a single layer of cells. If we cut across a leaf and zoom in, we can see the area between the upper and lower epidermis. This area, called the mesophyll, consists of several layers of green cells.

Each green cell of this plant contains an abundance of organelles known as chloroplasts. Each chloroplast is filled with a semifluid substance called stroma, which is rich in proteins and enzymes that play a role in photosynthesis. The stroma, in fact, is the site of the dark reaction of photosynthesis.

The stroma holds the grana, which are stacks of flat, round thylakoids. Thylakoids are often described as shaped like pancakes or disks. Thylakoids are themselves hollow and enclose a space called a lumen. If we look very, very closely at thylakoids, we find chlorophyll embedded in their membranes. This is where the light reaction of photosynthesis takes place. Chlorophyll associated with the thylakoid membrane captures sunlight to start the process of photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is also what gives plants their green color.