[2] The fungus grows felty colonies in bright shades of yellow, orange, and red, often with brown or black throughout.

[1][2] Colonies grow quickly, reaching about 6 cm in diameter in 2 days at room temperature.

[1] Epicoccum nigrum forms blastoconidia that are darkly coloured, warted and spherical, reaching 15 to 25 μm in diameter.

[4] The spores of E. nigrum are actively released depending on temperature, light, and relative humidity conditions.

[12][13] A highly robust and ubiquitous fungus,[14] E. nigrum has an almost global spread, occurring in the Americas, Asia, and Europe.

[1][15] It is a saprophytic fungus, forming pustules (composed of sporodochia and conidia) on dead and dying plants.

[4] This species is commonly found growing on cereals and seeds, as well as other crops including corn, beans, potatoes, peas and peaches.

[1][16] It has been found to grow colonies on leaves submersed in water as cold as 0 °C (32 °F), and is considered a facultative marine fungus.

[17] In indoor environments, E. nigrum has been found on paintings and wallpaper,[18] cotton and textiles,[1][4] in dust,[16][18] and in air.

[11] Flavipin, and epirodins A and B are pigmented antifungal agents;[10][11] non-pigmented compounds include epicorazines A and B.

[11] Endophytic fungi such as E. nigrum are being explored as alternative sources of antibiotics to treat important resistant infections.

It has demonstrated a capacity to biosynthesize nanoparticles from silver and gold, which have applications in chemical, industrial, and medical processes.

[16] Cross-reactivity was found to exist with Alternaria alternata, Curvularia lunata, Cladosporium herbarum, and Penicillium citrinum.

[4][34] More recently, two distinct genotypes for E. nigrum have been identified with the combined use of DNA sequencing, morphology, physiology, and recombination factors.