sooty mold

noun

: a dark growth of fungus mycelium growing in insect honeydew on plants

also : any of various ascomycetous fungi (order Dothideales) producing such growth

Examples of sooty mold in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Like aphids, whiteflies leave behind sticky honeydew that can turn to black sooty mold. — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 7 July 2026

These aphids may also leave a sticky honeydew residue in their wake, which can develop sooty mold and make affected plants look like they’re coated in a fine, dark powder. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 June 2026

The sticky residue can cover a plant (and your garden furniture and car), allowing a black, sooty mold to grow. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 30 May 2026

In contrast, aphids produce a sticky residue called honeydew that coats foliage and can later develop into a black coating known as sooty mold. — Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sooty mold

• copyhold
• decontrolled
• hundredfold
• manifold
• marigold
• oversold
• petioled
• sevenfold
• stranglehold
• subthreshold
• thousandfold
• uncontrolled