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the claim

Plants can grow in complete darkness.

the verdict
INSUFFICIENT LEANING
Recorded sources
4 sources for · 0 against

Counts group repeated records of the same source within each side. They do not measure evidence strength or source independence.

Is it true that plants can grow in complete darkness?

Unclear. Several studies report limited growth or survival in complete darkness for specific organisms: a brown alga produces a small frond in darkness, plastids form etioplasts in darkness, and some floodplain tree seedlings grow underwater in very low light. None shows ordinary plants growing in complete darkness generally.

Verdict: PARTIAL LEAN · 4 sources for, 0 against · Last checked

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Evidence for · 4
Growth of amputated and dark-exposed individuals of the brown alga Laminaria hyperborea
1969
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Growth of amputated and dark-exposed individuals of the brown alga Laminaria hyperborea. (1969). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00351143

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More for · 3
Photosynthetic Pigment-Protein Content, Electron Transport Activity and Thermo-Luminescence Properties of Chloroplasts Along the Developmental Gradient in Greening Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Leaves
1998
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Photosynthetic Pigment-Protein Content, Electron Transport Activity and Thermo-Luminescence Properties of Chloroplasts Along the Developmental Gradient in Greening Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Leaves. (1998). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3953-3_745

Phenology of the Cladophora-Stigeoclonium community in Two Urban Creeks of Melbourne
1989
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Phenology of the Cladophora-Stigeoclonium community in Two Urban Creeks of Melbourne. (1989). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1071/mf9890471

Submerged in darkness: adaptations to prolonged submergence by woody species of the Amazonian floodplains.
2009
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Parolin, P. (2009). Submerged in darkness: adaptations to prolonged submergence by woody species of the Amazonian floodplains.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcn216

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held for human review18 Oct 2026
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