A type of plastid or organelle in plant cells that synthesizes and stores pigments like carotenoids, giving fruits and flowers their colors.
From Greek 'chroma' (color) + 'plast' (formed/shaped). Coined in botany in the late 1800s as scientists realized specialized organelles created plant colors.
Chromoplasts are why tomatoes turn red, peppers turn orange, and corn turns yellow—these organelles work overtime in ripening fruit, essentially manufacturing color on demand.
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