ABSTRACT
Studies on phytoalexins have taken rapid strides in the recent past, but still the available data are grossly inadequate to draw any valid conclusion on the distribution, metabolism, and role of these compounds in higher plants. Out of the 250,000 or more angiosperms, hardly a couple of hundred species have been analyzed for their phytoalexins. Except for the Fabaceae, no other family has been systematically screened for their defense reactions. Almost all the plants studied so far are the cultivated species. Nothing is known on the phytoalexins of wild plants, weeds, or tree species.
