SPECIMENS EXAMINED: NORTHLAND: Bay of Islands County. Puketi Forest, Manginangina Scenic Reserve, on dead Beilschmiedia tawa, Dingley, 17 Aug. 1972 (PDD 30236); Hokianga County, vic. Mangamuka Bridge, Mangamuka Gorge Scenic Reserve. on trunk of Beilschmiedia tawa, Samuels (83-529) et al., 9 May 1983 (PDD 45738); Whangarei County, Punaruku, Russell State Forest, on Ripogonum scandens, Haydon, 31 Jan. 1974 (PDD 32023). AUCKLAND: Auckland City, Epsom, on twigs, Hughes 207, 27 Jan. 1963 (PDD 20502), same locality, on Solanum sp., collector unknown, 28 Oct. 1962 (PDD 45396), same locality, on Viburnum opulus L., Dingley, 13 Jan. 1963 (PDD 30706); Mt Albert, on Vitex lucens T. Kirk, Atkinson, Apr. 1954 (PDD 45338); Waitemata City, Henderson, Mountain Road, on Dysoxvlum spectabile, Dingley, Mar. 1954 (PDD 45702); Manukau City, vic. Kawakawa Bay, Hunua Ranges, Te Morehu Scenic Reserve, on Beilschmiedia tawa, Samuels (83-534) et al., 5 May 1983 (PDD 45740). COROMANDEL: Little Barrier Island, House Stream, on Beilschmiedia tarairi, Newhook, 11 Jun. 1956 (PDD 45395). WELLINGTON: Kahutarawa River, on dead Coprosma stems, Cunningham, Oct. 1930 (PDD 2973); Lake Papaetonga, on bark, Cunningham & Neill, 2 May 1923 (PDD 45426); Weraroa, three collections on dead wood, Cunningham, 4 Oct. 1919 (PDD 45408), 5 Sep. 1919 (PDD 1042), Sep. 1919 (PDD 101), a fourth collection, Cunningham & Neill, 1 May 1923 (PDD 45424).

Stromata gregarious, sessile, or stalked, at first conidial, fertile portion subglobose, 1-2 mm diam., often with an apiculus, containing only a few perithecia or less frequently fertile portion with more perithecia and then subcylindrical; with brown tissue splitting longitudinally away from the apiculus and stromal surface appearing rugose; with stiff, erect, brown, setose hyphae arising from all over stroma, or hairs not evident; perithecial outlines obvious; perithecia 300-400 µm diam., openings not evident; internal tissue of stroma white, solid; stipe sharply delimited from fertile portion, most stipes 0.5-1.0 mm long and stromata appearing sessile, less frequently stipes up to 10 mm long x 0.5 mm diam. and densely setose. Asci 160-200 µm total length x 7-9(-10) µm, sporiferous part (110-)115-135(-160) µm, cylindrical, apical ring J+, wedge-shaped, 3-4 µm high x: 3-4 µm wide; 8-spored, ascospores uniseriate with overlapping ends. Ascospores (15-)18-21(-26) x (6-)7-9(-11) µm; inequilateral with one side flat and one side curved, elliptic in top view; brown, transparent; slit full length or slightly less than full length, 13-15(-18) µm long, parallel to long axis of ascospore.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURES: Colonies grown 2 weeks at 20°C in diffuse daylight on CMD 5-6 cm diam., flat, white, transparent with scant aerial mycelium, colony margin deeply dissected. On OA colonies >, 9 cm diam., densely cottony, white. Within one month on OA colony surface with a black stromatic overlay. Stromatic structures arising in ill-defined concentric rings, 2-3 mm long, dendroidally branched, black with white tips; with stiff brown hairs arising from the surface; most remaining sterile but with conidia forming on a few. Conidiophores arising over the entire surface of the stroma, branching irregularly and forming a loose but uniform palisade; conidiogenous cells cylindrical, 7-13 x c. 3 µm; conidia borne apically, leaving a refractive, 1.0-1.5 µm diam. frilled scar after dehiscence. Conidia (4.5-)5.0-6.5(-8.0) x 1.5-2.0 µm, oblong to clavate and sometimes asymmetric with a faint apical beak or hook; colourless, smooth; each with a flat, protuberant, c. 1 µm wide, refractive basal abscission scar.

HABITAT: On wood of dicotyledonous trees, and woody stems of Solanum sp. and Ripogonum scandens (Smilacaeae).

Xylaria schreuderianais a relatively common species in New Zealand It is related to X. apiculata, X. arbuscula, and X. zealandica. Dennis (1956) believed X. schreuderiana to be only a kretzschmariold state of X. apiculata, but our field and cultural data indicate that it is best maintained as a separate species. We have examined authentic (? type) material of X. schreuderiana [South Africa, van der Bijl no. 1365, Nov. 1932 (K)].