What is Etiolation?
Etiolation is a condition caused by the growth of plants in the absence of light. It is characterized by a pale yellow coloring, sparse leaves, and weak, elongated stems. The stems of a plant grown in darkness grow longer and thinner in order to reach a potential light source. When a plant grows in sunlight, the tips of its stems move towards the source of light in order to maximize photosynthesis, the conversion of carbon dioxide into organic compounds necessary to plant life using the energy of sunlight. A plant suffering from etiolation will produce thinner and longer stems than a healthy plant, with longer internodes, in order to reach a sparse light source or to find one when it does not exist. Its stems will also grow faster than those of a plant exposed to adequate sunlight. Since leaves grow at the internodes of a plant’s stems, a plant suffering from etiolation will have less leaves than a normal plant. Photosynthesis depends largely on chloroplasts, organelles present in plan
