powdery mildew
- any of various parasitic fungi of the ascomycete order Erysiphales, which produce a powderlike film of mycelium on the surface of host plants.
- Plant Pathology. a disease caused by powdery mildew, characterized by yellowing and death of the foliage and a white mealy growth of fungus on the surface of above-ground parts.
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Origin of powdery mildew
An Americanism dating back to 1885–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
powdery mildew
- a plant disease characterized by a superficial white powdery growth on stems and leaves, caused by parasitic ascomycetous fungi of the family Erysiphaceae: affects the rose, aster, apple, vine, oak, etc
- any of the fungi causing this disease
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Compare downy mildew
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
powdery mildew
[pou′də-rē]
- Any of various important plant diseases caused by fungi, especially those of the family Erysiphaceae, which produce powdery conidia on the surface of the hosts leaves and stems.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.