botrytis

[ boh-trahy-tis ]

noun

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

botrytis

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of botrytis¹

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

Example Sentences

Tokaji is born in a harsh climate that veers from bitter winter to blazing summer, a climate that makes the grapes suffer beautifully for their art and also perfectly suits the growth of a gray fungus called Botrytis cinerea, usually known as “noble rot.”

From Seattle Times

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

Keanumycins also fight Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that produces mold on plants and more than 200 types of food, including grapes and strawberries, according to the news release.

From Washington Post

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

Freshly-harvested roses, for instance, are then dipped into a chemical mixture to protect them from the fungus, botrytis.

From BBC