Abstract: A review was made of published literature in the recent years on the antifungal metabolites in higher plants. The metabolites mainly include terpenes, alkaloids, flavones, phenols, quinines, phenylpropanoids, coumarins and lignans. The characteristics of antifungal constituents in the families of Gramineae, Leguminosae, Rosaceae, Compositae and Cruciferae were emphasized. A brief conclusion and some suggestions for the further research of antifungal substances were also outlined.