Geomyces pannorum is a yellow-brown filamentous fungus of the phylum Ascomycota commonly found in cold soil environments including the permafrost of the Northern hemisphere.

[3] It was transferred to the genus Chrysosporium by the Canadian mycologist Stanley Hughes in 1958; however, the asymmetry and relatively small size of the conidia combined with the tree-like, branched appearance of the asexual reproductive structures suggested it belonged elsewhere.

[8][9] Geomyces pannorum has also been recovered from glacier bank soils in Kashmir, India, at an elevation of over 3000 metres, where temperatures rarely exceed 10 °C.

[10] This species can survive in arctic cryopegs consisting of super-cooled hypersaline liquid water deposits found beneath or within large masses of ice.

[11][14] This fungus maintains cell and membrane function at low temperatures by elevating levels of unsaturated fats and compounds with cryoprotectant properties such as trehalose and various polyols.

[8] Other reported substrates include debris from a coal mine in Canada, frozen leaf litter, meat, cod, gelatin, and flour.

[18] Geomyces pannorum has commonly been isolated from the hairs of burrowing mammals,[11] the feathers of petrels, skuas, and penguins,[19] and the exoskeletons of flying arthropods,[20] all of which may contribute to its dispersal.

vinaceous grows at 4 °C and uses lipids more readily than glucose, possibly as a means to maintain membrane fluidity under low temperature conditions by increasing the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids.

[37] Geomyces pannorum is regular contaminant found in cultures of dermatological specimens of humans and domestic animals (dogs, cats, horses).

[40] Additional metabolites have been isolated from G. pannorum including antimicrobial asterric acid derivatives called "geomycins" active against Aspergillus fumigatus as well as Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

[41] Other metabolites have shown activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Clavibacter michiganensis, Xanthomonas campestris and the causative agent of plant crown gall tumours, Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

[42] Fungal 18S rDNA fragments of G. pannorum have been recovered from glass panels of 19th century churches in Brakel, Germany, where their presence was interpreted to contribute to have degradation.