Microbiology Series: Second in a Six-Part Series
Stachybotrys

photo-6The genus Stachybotrys was first described by Corda in 1837. Stachybotrys is translated as "fertile hyphae" and was first discovered growing on a wall in the winter in Prague, Czecho- slavakia.1 This is interesting in that Stachybotrys species still grow on walls in our buildings and therein lies the source of our problem with them. The species Stachybotrys atra, Stachybotrys chartarum, and Stachybotrys alterans probably are all the same organism. Stachybotrys is commonly referred to as the "black mold" because the spores and thus the colony, are this color. In reality, most mold growing on building surfaces appears black in …