Graphiola

/ɡræfɪˈoʊlə/ noun

Definition

A genus of parasitic fungi that infects palm trees, causing a disease characterized by dark, sooty spore masses.

Etymology

From Modern Latin, combining graph- (from Greek graphein) with diminutive -iola. Named for the dark marks it creates on palm fronds, resembling writing or drawings.

Kelly Says

Graphiola psidii decimated coconut plantations across the Pacific — a microscopic fungus shaped global trade patterns by making whole islands unable to grow their staple crop!

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