Mildew
Mildew is a coating of fungal or oomycete growth on plants or other surfaces. It is distinguished from the closely related mould largely by its colour: moulds appear in shades of black, blue, red, and green, whereas mildew is white. It appears as a thin, superficial growth consisting of minute hyphae (fungal filaments) produced especially on living plants or organic matter such as wood, paper or leather. Both mould and mildew produce distinct offensive odours, and both are the cause of human ailments.
In nature, 'mildew' can refer to either powdery mildews, species of fungus in the family Erysiphaceae, or downy mildews, fungus-like organisms in the family Peronosporaceae. It is also used more generally to mean mould growth.
In Old English, mildew meant honeydew (a substance secreted by aphids on leaves, formerly thought to distill from the air like dew), and later came to mean mould or fungus.
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