01/06/2026
Dish of the week - Ulocladium alternariae
Have you spotted the wall of 300+ petri dishes in ARTIS-Micropia? One of them holds this one:
👭 Ulocladium alternariae closely resembles species from the genus Alternaria and is often mistaken for it due to its similar dark, soot-like spores.
🗺️This fungus is found worldwide, particularly in temperate and subtropical regions. It thrives wherever decaying leaves and plant material are present.
🍂 Its presence tends to increase in autumn, when fallen leaves provide plenty of nutrients. So when you’re raking leaves, you may also be releasing some Ulocladium spores into the air.