[SunkenCiv]

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Plants on extrasolar planets resembling Earth could be as black as these eggplants. Scientists who speculate on plant life and what might constitute photosynthesis "out there" say that plant color depends on the size and light intensity that the planet feeds off from its star, or sun, as well as the extrasolar planet's atmospheric chemistry. (Credit: iStockphoto)

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[SunkenCiv]

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[NonValueAdded]

“... and after it rains, there’s a rainbow ...” /obscure

[Cogadh na Sith]

That’s ‘Plants of Color’ to you.

[SunkenCiv]

...and the potato is in the nightshade family, so there...

...and among its relatives, the eggplant...

[KevinDavis]

[LibWhacker]

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

A freeper posted an article about purple photosynthesis (or violet) and the hypothesis that extraterrestrial plants/protists could be purple (or violet) because violet has more energy. But the article also mentioned that the energy could be too much for the plant which is why green plants/algae are dominant now (as a Creationist, consider that idea bunk--the ratio of many green photosynthesizers and few purple photosynthesizers probably was the case since they were created).

Anyway, if purple photosynthesis was too much for plants, black (absorbing at least almost all of the visible spectrum) would be even more energy for plants.

[SunkenCiv]

guard cell photosynthesis:

Google

[Candor7]

The "Black" chlorophyl planet?

You mean we can deport Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton as well as Nifong through a Star Gate?

A whole new genre of Sci Fi movies is about to be created.

Noooooo! Not the black chlorophyl planet!Send me anywhere but there.....OR

Send us to the Soul Train Plain my main man! The black chlorophyl planet.

In any event, it will be interesting.

[SunkenCiv]

the new Sci American issue has this:

The Color of Plants on Other Worlds
On other worlds, plants could be red, blue, even black
by Nancy Y. Kiang
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-color-of-plants-on-other-worlds

http://www.sciam.com/media/inline/7FD3BC04-9821-D139-3BC25BB09D5EA8B8_1.jpg

http://www.sciam.com/media/cover/cover_2008-04.jpg

Local Color: Plants under Alien Suns Could Come in a Variety of Hues
by David Biello
April 2007
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=local-color-plants-under-alien-suns-come-in-variety-of-hues
http://space.newscientist.com/channel/space-tech/astrobiology/dn11578-for-plants-on-alien-worlds-it-isnt-easy-being-green.html

other old sources:

(Kiang) http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/briefs/kiang_01/
http://www.earthsky.org/radioshows/51294/seeking-life-on-alien-worlds-look-to-plants

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Some_Earth_Like_Worlds_May_Have_Foliage_Of_Colors_Other_Than_Green_999.html