Sooty mould

Sooty moulds form dense, dark covering over plants (stems, leaves or fruits) and also over inanimate surfaces.

The phrase  ‘sooty mould’ is beautifully descriptive since a growth of such a fungus look very much like a thin, sooty coating. However, though a very useful descriptive expression (and one that is used in both technical and non-technical literature) it is not a precise taxonomic term since the fungi involved belong to diverse families.    

They are classed as ‘local native’ on Canberra Nature Map but that is only because it is necessary to choose just one conservation level. It is undoubtedly the case that introduced species, naturally widespread species and endemic species occur in our region.