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Orange Bread Molds
2 species
A genus of ascomycetes (Sordariaceae, Sordariales) whose conidiating species, including N. crassa, N. sitophila, N. intermedia, N. tetrasperma and N. discreta, form conspicuous orange, powdery growth. The name means "nerve spore", for the axon-like ridges on its ascospores. N. crassa has been a key model organism in genetics since 1941, N. intermedia var. oncomensis is used to make oncom, and orange mold is a fast, hard-to-contain contaminant of mushroom spawn and substrate.
Colony: extremely fast (N. crassa grows 3-5 mm per hour), loose aerial mycelium that turns orange-pink with masses of powdery conidia (asexual names Chrysonilia/Monilia). Ascospores: dark, ridged (striate); dormant ascospores are activated by heat, which is why orange blooms appear after fires and why the mold can survive marginal pasteurization. Obligate aerobe; thrives in warm, humid conditions.
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