fusarium
noun
fu·sar·i·um
fyü-ˈzer-ē-əm 
: any of a genus (Fusarium) of ascomycetous fungi having curved septate conidia which includes forms that are important agents of plant disease and others that produce mycotoxins implicated in human and animal disease
also
: a plant disease (such as wilt or dry rot) caused by a fusarium
Examples of fusarium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Annuals to plant: bachelor buttons, begonias, calendula, celosia, cosmos, larkspur, marigold, nasturtium, pansies, petunias, primrose, snapdragons, statice, stock, sunflowers, sweet pea and zinnias
A healthy plant that suddenly wilts and dies may be a victim of verticillium or fusarium wilt.
—
Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2025
Consider selecting varieties resistant to fusarium and verticillium wilts, tobacco mosaic virus, and/or nematodes.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2025
Choose tomato plants or seeds labeled as a variety resistant to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, and nematodes.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 2 Mar. 2025
Brown spots on stems at the soil line indicate fusarium, while phytophthora causes the stems near the soil line to appear wet.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2024
Check tomatoes for leaves that are yellowing or wilting after watering—both are signs of fusarium wilt.
—Deanna Kizis, Sunset Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
The largest species for which our region is best known are disappearing: aging out, dying from disease such as fusarium (a fungus), palm weevil infestation or incinerated by wildfires.
—Dirk Sutro, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2023
Some fungal diseases that develop inside the plant’s stems — such as verticillium and fusarium wilts — are not affected by fungicide sprays at all.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2022
Invasive shothole borers have sickened at least 65 varieties of SoCal urban trees — such as box elders, maples, willows, sycamores, oaks and cottonwoods — by infesting them with their primary food source, fusarium fungus.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2022
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Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2025
Consider selecting varieties resistant to fusarium and verticillium wilts, tobacco mosaic virus, and/or nematodes.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2025
Choose tomato plants or seeds labeled as a variety resistant to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, and nematodes.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 2 Mar. 2025
Brown spots on stems at the soil line indicate fusarium, while phytophthora causes the stems near the soil line to appear wet.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2024
Check tomatoes for leaves that are yellowing or wilting after watering—both are signs of fusarium wilt.
—Deanna Kizis, Sunset Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
The largest species for which our region is best known are disappearing: aging out, dying from disease such as fusarium (a fungus), palm weevil infestation or incinerated by wildfires.
—Dirk Sutro, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2023
Some fungal diseases that develop inside the plant’s stems — such as verticillium and fusarium wilts — are not affected by fungicide sprays at all.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2022
Invasive shothole borers have sickened at least 65 varieties of SoCal urban trees — such as box elders, maples, willows, sycamores, oaks and cottonwoods — by infesting them with their primary food source, fusarium fungus.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Fusarium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fusarium. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
fusarium
noun
fu·sar·i·um
fyü-ˈzer-ē-əm
1
capitalized
: a genus of ascomycetous fungi (family Tuberculariaceae) including important plant pathogens, agents (as F. solani and F. oxysporum) of infectious conditions in humans and domestic animals, and mycotoxin-producing forms (as F. moniliforme and F. proliferaturm) that contaminate agricultural products (as grain)
2
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