What is the name of the storage carbohydrate found in plants?

The storage carbohydrate found in plants is known as starch. Starch is a polysaccharide that consists of many glucose units joined together. Plants synthesize starch during photosynthesis and store it primarily in their roots, tubers, seeds, and leaves. It serves as an important energy reserve that can be broken down into glucose when the plant requires energy for growth or other metabolic processes.

The structure of starch allows it to be compactly stored in granules, making it an efficient way for plants to store excess glucose produced during photosynthesis. When energy is needed, enzymes break down starch into simpler sugars such as glucose, which can be utilized by the plant.

In contrast, glycogen is the storage carbohydrate found in animals, not plants. Cellulose is a structural component of plant cell walls and is not used for energy storage. Sucrose is a disaccharide sugar that can be used for energy but is not a storage form. Thus, starch is specifically recognized as the primary storage form of carbohydrates in plants.