Ascomata are superficial or immersed, perithecial and ostiolate or cleistothecial and non-ostiolate, hairy or glabrous, dark coloured.

Peridium membranaceous, asci cylindrical, clavate or subspherical, with a persistent or evanescent wall, usually with a thickened and non-amyloid annular structure at the apex, usually 8-spored.

[3] Neurospora is widely used in genetics as a model organism (especially N. crassa) because it quickly reproduces, is easy to culture,[5] and can survive on minimal media (inorganic salts, glucose, water and biotin in agar).

Neurospora was later used by George Wells Beadle and Edward Lawrie Tatum in X-ray mutation experiments to discover mutants that would differ in nutritional requirements.

The life cycle phase is thus predominantly haploid, however, upon mating, the nuclei do not immediately fuse: karyogamy is delayed until the very onset of meiosis.

The genus Neurospora also includes homothallic species in which a single haploid individual carries both mating type loci and can undergo self-fertilization leading to meiosis and sexual reproduction.

In addition, all species derive the benefits of meiosis that include the removal of stress-induced DNA damages by homologous recombinational repair, and the formation of stress-resistant ascospores.