The leaf is the primary site of photosynthesis in plants. Click
on image for full size Image has been released into public
domain (found on wikipedia.org). Photosynthesis is the name of
the process by which water, carbon dioxide, and solar energy
into sugars and oxygen. It is a complex chemical process by
which plants and other autotrophs create the energy needed for
biological life. The equation above shows the production of CH2O
(formaldehyde), only one of the many carbohydrates that actually
form. The oxygen that is a byproduct of the photosynthesis
reaction leaves the plant through the stomata (openings between
guard cells on the surface of a plant's epidermis that let in
carbon dioxide and let out oxygen). This oxygen is essential in
supporting life on Earth. It is estimated that a full-grown,
healthy maple tree has about 500 square feet of leaves weighing
about 500 pounds. This represents a total chloroplast surface
area of about 140 square miles. Believe it or not, a single
maple tree can make two tons