In continental United States, it is a major pathogen of tobacco, tomato, and ornamentals produced in greenhouses including Catharanthus . It is popular in container gardens and new flower colors produced on compact cultivars, have increased its use in many public and home gardens. These wilts begin from infected leaves or as a result of root infections. Leaf spots are initially small, irregular water-soaked areas easily visible on the undersurface of the leaf. These spots expand to rot the entire leaf.
Diseased leaves are gray-olive green to brownish.
The rots progress from leaves to the stem, and sections or branches of the plant are killed. Yellow leaves and black leaf rots also occur near the stem. Movement of the fungus into the primary stem or into the larger stems causes wilting of the entire plant or large sections of the plant. Root rots are not initially noticeable. Small feeder roots are infected and larger roots become diseased with time as the fungus feeds on and destroys the root system.