Torula herbarum
Colonies: very variable in size, ranging from small patches 1-2 mm diam. but often extensive and sometimes completely encircling stems, olivaceous when young and black when mature, conspicuously felty.
Anamorph: Conidiophores poorly differentiated from vegetative hyphae but with slightly wider, darker and thicker cells. Conidiogenous cells not clearly distinguishable in morphological terms from their subtending cells, 7-9 µm diam., proliferating sympodially and irregularly. Conidia sometimes formed from several loci simultaneously and in branched chains, 20-45 (-70) x 5-9 µm, 3- to 10- (mostly 4- to 5-) septate, ± cylindrical to cylindric-fusiform, straight or slightly curved, the ends rounded, pale olivaceous to mid brown, becoming finely echinulate.
Teleomorph: not known.
Not formally assessed, but this is a very common species and would certainly be assessed as of Least Concern. It could be a species complex; see for example T. masonii.
Found on a wide range of dead herbaceous stems, more rarely on leaves and other substrata such as wood and sacking. Frequently isolated from soil and air.
Widely distributed throughout England, Wales and southern Scotland, but surprisingly seems to be absent from north of Edinburgh.