On the Structure of th haustoria of Some Parasitic Flowering Plants

기생현화식물의 흡기 구조에 관하여

The parasitic flowering plants obtain nutrients and water from their host plants through a parasitic organ, haustorium, which connects both structurally and physiologically host and parasite. The parasitism in angiosperms thus can be understood from the knowledge of the haustorial structure. The haustoria have evolve convergently and independently in several unrelated taxa; therefore, they have similar morphology. Many anatomical studies on the haustoria in several parasites in the pst have been carried out by light microscopy. Ultrastructural studies on the haustoria, which are started from the end of 1060s', have provided new information relating to the phenomenon of parasitism in angiosperms. The purpose of this paper is to introduce and compare the structure of haustoria between parasitic plants. The results may help an understanding of phylogenetic relationships of parasitic angiosperms. The haustoria of some families, such as Santalaceae, Orobancaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Loranthaceae (or Viscaceae), and Convolvulaceae (Cuscuta) will be discussed.