SPECIMENS EXAMINED: NORTHLAND: Bay of Islands Country, S of Kaitaia, Puketi State Forest, track along Waipapa River at picnic area, on standing dead tree and sawdust-like debris, Samuels (81-142) & Horak, 13 May 1981 (PDD 41973); second collection, Samuels (82-123) & Johnston, 16 Apr. 1982 (PDD 43195).

Stromata consisting of a 1.5-2 cm diam. rosette of ± subglobose to conical to irregularly shaped fertile portions, each fertile portion 10-15 mm diam.; the entire rosette with a 4-5 cm long, narrowed rooting stipe immersed in wood and perpendicular to the surface of the decaying log; stipe not evident outside the wood. Mature stromata dark brown to black; surface wrinkled, tuberculate with discoid ostiola, perithecia completely immersed. Fertile portions and stipe with inconspicuous tomentum. Internal tissue of stroma solid, white. Asci 250-260 µm total length x 7.5-10 µm, sporiferous portion (125-)144-180 µm, cylindrical, apical ring J+, urn-shaped to cylindrical, (4.0-)4.5-6.0 µm wide x 5-8(-10) µm high; 8-spored, ascospores uniseriate with overlapping ends. Ascospores (20-)22-27(-29) x (6-)7-9(-10) µm, inequilateral with one side slightly concave to plane and the other side round; elliptic in top view, ends pointed to papillate, transparent brown; slit diagonal, 8-9(-10) µm long.

DISTRIBUTION: NORTH ISLAND: Northland.

HABITAT: Known only from a single standing decorticated, dicotyledonous, dead tree.

NOTES: Ascospores from neither of the cited collections germinated on CMD at 20°C. We have not seen an anamorph associated with mature stromata.
Xylaria anisopleura was originally described on material from French Guiana. Specimens referable to this species have been seen from various sub-tropical and tropical areas of the world. This species is represented from New Zealand by two collections. They differ from most collections in having rooting stipes. The stipes were embedded in sawdust-like debris which had originated from the activities of insect larvae in the tree host.
Xylaria anisopleura is related to X. polymorpha (Pers.:Fr.) Grev., differing in the smaller size and moriform shape of stromata and the short, oblique to somewhat spiralling ascospore germ slit. Type material [Cayenne, Leprieur 438 (K) (as Hypoxylon anisopleura Mont.] has ascospores 27-34 x 8-10 µm, somewhat longer than those of our material.