|
The condition, seen when plants are growing with an inadequate light supply, in which there is abnormal chlorophyll development. It causes the plant to look pale and there is excessive elongation of the internodes and poor development of the leaves. It is an adaptation to hasten the plant's location of a light source. When plants are growing from underground stems, etiolation is manifested by extreme elongation of the petioles. This phenomenon is exploited in the growth of certain vegetables, such as rhubarb and celery, which may be kept in darkness to either blanch (whiten) the leaf stalks or to force them on early.
|
