Coniochaeta

The Coniochaeta form a genus of pleomorphic yeasts of the order Coniochaetales and are pathogens of trees. They can take the form of pink to brown colonies, hyphae, condiophores or sclerotia. In 2013, the Lecythophora were merged with the Coniochaeta, following suggestions by Ziauddin Khan et al. The Coniochaeta have been described as typically associated with wood, water, soil,. However, there is also growing evidence of specialised associations between each species and specific environments, and a suggestion that 4-spored and 8-spored species interact differently with their environments, some species surviving forest fires, which activate their sexual cycle. Other members of the Coniochaeta, most commonly Coniochaeta polymorpha, can cause clinical infections in immunocompromised individuals, which has increased recent interest in the genus.