Question: Do plants with purple leaves carry photosynthesis

Marta Maia answered on 11 Jul 2017:

All photosynthesizing plants have a pigment molecule called chlorophyll. This molecule absorbs most of the energy from the violet-blue and reddish-orange part of the light spectrum. It does not absorb green, so that’s reflected back to our eyes and we see the leaf as green. There are also accessory pigments, called carotenoids, that capture energy not absorbed by chlorophyll. They absorb blue light and appear yellow, red, or orange to our eyes. Anthocyanin is another important pigment which is behind a purple plant’s vivid coloring. Plants that appear purple, blue or red contain a higher concentration of anthocyanin than chlorophyll. Anthocyanin is a pigment adept at absorbing green light, but less skilled at absorbing red, blue or purple light.