noun
- Colorless or white plastids found in plant cells that store starch, oils, or proteins; a type of non-pigmented organelle.
Usage: biology; plural form of leucoplast; also spelled leukoplasts
Examples
- Leucoplasts in potato tubers accumulate large amounts of starch for energy storage.
- Unlike chloroplasts, leucoplasts lack pigments and do not participate in photosynthesis.
- The root cells contain numerous leucoplasts that store nutrients.
- Leucoplasts can differentiate into chloroplasts when exposed to light.
- Scientists studied how leucoplasts function in non-photosynthetic plant tissues.