Dirtland

Conidiospores of Mold on Banana

Click here to see a JPEG of this microbe.

Kingdom: Fungus
Image Courtesy of: Catherine McGowan and Steven Rozeveld
Image Width: 180 microns
Image Technology: ESEM (Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope)

This is a mold that was found growing on a banana peel in a compost pile. The small round objects on the "branches" of this mold are a type of spore. Spores are somewhat like seeds. These spores, called conidiospores, are asexual. The "branches" that the conidiospores are on are called conidiophores ("phore" means to carry or bear).