Angiosperms, algae and Protozoa as plant pathogens

Abstract

Parasitic species occur in some families of angiosperms but rather few are important causes of disease in economic plants. Some families such as the Rafflesiaceae are thought to comprise only parasites but most of the families involved contain non-parasitic and parasitic species which are evidently related, the parasitic forms presumably being derived from the non-parasitic ones. Among the more important families containing parasites are the Loranthaceae, Convolvulaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Orobanchaceae, Lauraceae, Santalaceae and Balanophoraceae.