The chlorophyll containing holoparasitic species Cuscuta reflexa, the achlorophyllous species Cuscuta odorata and the intermediate species Cuscuta gronovii, which contains only traces of chlorophyll, were compared with respect to their plastid coding capacity and plastid gene expression at the level of RNA. While extensive deletions have taken place in the plastid DNA of the achlorophyllous species C. odorata, the green species C. reflexa has retained an almost complete plastid genome. Although the plastid genome of the intermediate species C. gronovii has suffered extensive deletions, in contrast to the plastid genome of C. odorata it has retained photosynthesis-related genes. Hybridization with radioactive 3'-labelled RNA revealed that in all three species only a small 'parasite-specific' portion of the plastid genome consisting of mainly rRNAs and tRNAs is represented at the level of steady-state RNA. Run-on transcription assays revealed that in plastids of C. reflexa the entire genome is transcribed. Hence, the subset of RNA species required for a parasitic lifestyle is preferentially stabilized in Cuscuta plastids.