Species produce olive-green to brown or black colonies, and have dark-pigmented
conidia that are formed in simple or branching chains. Many species of
Cladosporium are commonly found on living and dead plant material, including
Sunflowers. The spores are wind-dispersed and they are often extremely abundant in outdoor air. Indoors
Cladosporium species may grow on surfaces when moisture is present.
Cladosporium fulvum, cause of tomato leaf mould, has been an important genetic model, in that the genetics of host resistance are understood. In the 1960s, it was estimated that the genus
Cladosporium contained around 500
plant-pathogenic and
saprotrophic species, but this number has since been increased to over 772 species. The genus is very closely related to black yeasts in the order
Dothideales.
Cladosporium species are often highly osmotolerant, growing easily on media containing 10% glucose or 12–17% NaCl. They are rarely grown on media containing 24% NaCl or 50% glucose and never isolated from medium with 32% NaCl or greater. Most species have very fragile
spore chains, making it extremely difficult to prepare a mount for microscopic observation in which the
conidial chains are preserved intact. == Health effects ==