Xylaria cinerea

On very wet decaying dead wood on the ground, especially of eucalyptus or bay laurel, with cylindrical stromata with a slightly pointed tip, a short stipe, 1 to 5 cm tall, with a rugose blackish-brown surface and abundant whitish longitudinal furrows.

Perithecia subglobose, 0.4 to 0.5 mm in diameter by 0.5 to 0.6 mm high, immersed in the stromatal tissue, opening to the outside via an apical ostiole.

Perithecial wall hyphae pseudoparenchymatous in appearance, with thick-walled hyphae, those of the outer part containing abundant blackish-brown intracellular pigment, and those of the inner part more hyaline.

Asci cylindrical, eight-spored (octosporic), 160 to 190 µm long by 8.5 to 11 µm wide, with uniseriate spore arrangement inside the ascus, with an amyloid apical apparatus, cylindrical to urn-shaped, 3 to 4.5 µm high by 2.5 to 3 µm wide.

Paraphyses scarce, hyaline, thin-walled, unbranched, 2 to 3.5 µm wide, progressively tapering towards the apex.

Ascospores ellipsoidal to slightly fusiform, inequilateral, with one side more flattened, dark brown under the microscope, smooth, 12 to 17 µm long by 5 to 6 µm wide, with a straight to slightly sinuous germ slit occupying almost the entire length of the spore.

Herbarium material available: JTP2008/23.