Specialized cytoplasmic organelle that contains chlorophyll. Lens-shaped and bounded by a double membrane, chloroplasts contain membranous structures (thylakoids) piled up into stacks, surrounded by a gel-like matrix (stroma). They are the site of solar energy transfer and important reactions of starch or sugar synthesis.
Chloroplasts have their own DNA and are inherited
cytoplasmically, independent of nuclear genes.
