Inventory of parasitic plants (mistletoes) host range in forest and plantation community of Humid Forest Research Station Umuahia, Nigeria

Abstract

The host range assessment was investigated in Humid Forest Research Station Umuahia between the year 2019 and 2020 with the view of documenting the host range species in the station premises. The visual method of counting was adopted in this study. Both angiosperm and gymnosperm tree species were examined. Out of 21 families that were investigated, 14 families were infected with parasitic plants. The remaining 7 families were found not being harbored mistletoes. These were Moraceae, Sapotaceae, Ebenaceae, Clusiaceae, Steculiaceae, Bombacaceae and Cupressaceae. At generic levels, 20 genera belonging to 25 tree species were infected with parasitic plants. The total number of individual trees harboring mistletoes were 84, out of which Tectona grandis took 28.56 %. The identified mistletoes species during the study were Agelanthus pungu, Phragmenthera incana and Phragmenthra capitata. They were parasitized 29.2%, 12.5% and 58.3% of infected tree species respectively. The study actually highlighted the host range species among gymnosperm and angiosperm tree species in the forest and plantation community of the study locality.