STUDIES ON THE HOST RANGES OF ANGIOSPERM PARASITES DENDROPHPHOE FALCATA VAR. COCCINIA AND CASSYTHA FILIFORMIS IN ANNAMALAI RESERVE FOREST, THIRUNANNAMALAI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA.

This study pertains to the evaluation of host ranges of angiosperm parasites Dendrophthoe falcata (L.f.) Ettingsh var. coccinia (Talb.) Sant. (Loranthaceae) and Cassytha filiformis L. (Lauraceae) on various angiosperm host plants in the Annamalai reserve forest, Thiruvannamalai District, Tamil Nadu, India. D. falcata was found growing on five host trees belonging to four families of Dicotyledons in a localised area of the hill but C. filiformis had a wide range of 26 host plants belonging to 18 families of Dicotyledons which grew from the plains to thehill top. Study revealed that C. filiformis had managed to increase its host ranges rather than D. falcata. Polymorphism of leaves were also observed in D. falcata. Instances of double parasitism were found on Acacia chundra and Diospyros ferrea