Xylariaceae is one of the most commonly encountered groups of ascomycetes with most of its members being stromatic, peritheciate, with an iodine-positive ascus apical ring, and with one-celled, dark ascospores on which a germination slit can be found. Most are inhabitants of wood, seeds, fruits, or leaves of angiosperms. Some are associated with insect nests. Most decay wood and many are plant pathogens. Many are endophytes. They are commonly found throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the world.

We have fully monographed or revised 14 genera of the Xylariaceae, including: Ascovirgaria J. D. Rogers & Y.-M. Ju, Biscogniauxia Kuntze, Creosphaeria Theiss., Daldinia Ces. & De Not., Discoxylaria Lindquist & J. Wright, Entoleuca Syd., Hypoxylon Bull., Jumillera J. D. Rogers, Y.-M. Ju, & San Martín, Kretzschmaria Fr., Kretzschmariella Viégas, Nemania S. F. Gray, Stilbohypoxylon Henn., Vivantia J. D. Rogers, Y.-M. Ju, & Cand., Whalleya J. D. Rogers, Y.-M. Ju, & San Martín. Sample images of these genera are displayed on the right.  Click a link or an image and you will be able to access the background information of that genus.  For those genera harboring more than one species, identification keys to species are also provided.  These are synoptic keys, which means that you can start from any character without following a certain sequence.

We compiled a LIST OF MOST PUBLISHED EPITHETS for the above-listed genera.  You can find out the current status of a species or varietal name through the list which contains more than 1,300 epithets.

If you suspect that the fungi that you are trying to identify or read about are not among the above-listed genera, try our KEY TO THE GENERA to see if they can be keyed out.  This key is also synoptic.  We currently accept 40 genera in the Xylariaceae.  For those genera that we have not documented digitally, we provide sample images and selected reference(s) for you to start with; you can find a list summarizing characteristics for each of these genera as well.   If you would like to browse through a photo gallery of the 40 genera, click THE ACCEPTED GENERA.   Please excuse us for not having images for a few genera.  If you have images of these genera and would like to help us out, please let us know.