This is series of posts on interesting and unusual words and phrases.
The first set of words are adjectives that describe a shape and are often used in botany, mineralogy, and describing artistic forms.
The word for today is aspergilliform: brush shaped; from the Latin, aspergillum: shaped like a brush.
An aspergillum (“little sprinkler”, less commonly, aspergilium or aspergil) is a Christian liturgical implement used to sprinkle holy water. It comes in three forms: a freshly cut hyssop branch, a brush-like bundle that is dipped in the holy water and shaken, and a perforated, mace-like metal ball with a handle. Some have sponges or internal reservoirs that dispense holy water when shaken, while others must periodically be dipped in an aspersorium (holy water bucket, known to art historians as a situla). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspergillum
Aspergillus is a genus consisting of several hundred mould species found in various climates worldwide.
Aspergillus was first catalogued in 1729 by the Italian priest and biologist Pier Antonio Micheli. Viewing the fungi under a microscope, Micheli was reminded of the shape of an aspergillum (holy water sprinkler), from Latin spargere (to sprinkle), and named the genus accordingly. Aspergillum is an asexual spore-forming structure common to all Aspergillus species; around one-third of species are also known to have a sexual stage. While some species of Aspergillus are known to cause fungal infections, others are of commercial importance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspergillus
https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/aspergillosis/causes.html
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