Onion cells have no chloroplasts. How can we tell they are plants? How do we classify them as plants?

Answer 1

Plant cells usually have at least some of these characteristics or if not all:

1. Vacuole
2. Cell wall
3. Plasmodestmata
4. Lack Centrioles
5. Plastids such as Chloroplasts

Answer 2

There is more than one way to verify that they are plants. First, they have many characteristics that are unique to plant cells - the most salient of these is their cell wall.

And actually, while the edible part of the onion may not have chloroplasts, the above-ground portion of the plant does have them.

And since they are multicellular, and clearly not fungi (no chitin) or animal, there is nothing else to classify them as but plants!

Also, if you sequenced the DNA of onions and used phylogenetic methods (i.e. comparing their DNA to other organisms), you would clearly see that they should be classified as plants.

Answer 3

It's only the onion bulb cells that don't have chloroplasts and that's because they don't photosynthesize. Look at an onion LEAF cell and it's loaded with chloroplasts.

Answer 4

They do have a large central vacuole, and cell walls, which can differentiate them from different cells.

Answer 5

They have plant walls