botrytis

American  

[boh-trahy-tis] / boʊˈtraɪ tɪs /

noun

1. any imperfect fungus of the genus Botrytis, having the conidia in grapelike bunches: a major cause of plant disease.

2. noble rot.

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botrytis British  

/ bɒtˈraɪtɪs /

noun

1. any of a group of fungi of the genus Botrytis , several of which cause plant diseases

2. winemaking a fungus of this genus, Botrytis cinerea , which causes noble rot

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Etymology

Origin of botrytis

< New Latin (1832) < Greek bótry ( s ) bunch of grapes + New Latin -( ī ) tis -itis

Example Sentences

This is particularly appropriate because Botrytis cinerea is a necrotrophic fungus, meaning it kills its host and then feasts on the remains — a natural vampire that creates something almost immortal out of its predation.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 23, 2023

The authors cooked up a broth of bacteria that produce keanumycin and applied it to a hydrangea plant covered with the fungus Botrytis cinerea, a common blight among greenhouse crops like tomatoes and strawberries.

From New York Times • Mar. 8, 2023

Botrytis cinerea, known as gray mold or bud rot, has ruined about 15 percent of their harvest, RT3 said.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 28, 2016

The Tokaj region produces one of a handful of wines around the world made with fruit affected by "noble rot", induced by the "Botrytis" fungus that shrivels grapes and concentrates their sugar.

From Reuters • Jul. 22, 2016

Snowdrops are sometimes attacked with a kind of mildew known scientifically as Botrytis galanthina.

From Beautiful Bulbous Plants For the Open Air by Weathers, John