[3] Many plants,[2] including tobacco, potato, tomato, and squash, serve as natural hosts.

[5] There are four informal subgroups within this genus: these are the tobamoviruses that infect the brassicas, cucurbits, malvaceous, and solanaceous plants.

The main differences between these groups are genome sequences, and respective range of host plants.

The virus exits the host cell by monopartite non-tubule guided viral movement.

[3][4] Tobamovirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerases are homologous with bromoviruses, ilarviruses, tobraviruses, and the carnation mottle virus.