Morphology and phylogeny reveal two novel Xylaria (Xylariaceae) species from China Author Wu, You-Peng 0000-0002-2891-4424 State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, P. R. China & The High Efficacy Application of Natural Medicinal Resources Engineering Center of Guizhou Province (The Key Laboratory of Optimal Utilization of Natural Medicine Resources), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guizhou Medical University, University T own, Guian New District, Guizhou, P. R. China & WYP 0224 @ aliyun. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 2891 - 4424 0224@aliyun.com Author Pi, Yin-Hui 0000-0001-9740-5802 State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, P. R. China & pyh 2020 @ aliyun. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 9740 - 5802 pyh2020@aliyun.com Author Long, Si-Han 0000-0002-8346-3646 State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, P. R. China & 1036155061 @ qq. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 8346 - 3646 1036155061@qq.com Author Liu, Li-Li 0000-0002-1237-1568 Immune Cells and Antibody Engineering Research Center of Guizhou Province / Key Laboratory of Biology and Medical Engineering, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, P. R. China & lililiu 550025 @ 163. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 1237 - 1568 Author Zhang, Xu 0000-0002-0723-7524 State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, P. R. China & 593393893 @ qq. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 0723 - 7524 593393893@qq.com Author Long, Qing-De 0000-0002-7720-2650 State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, P. R. China & 562194365 @ qq. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 7720 - 2650 562194365@qq.com Author Lin, Yan 0000-0003-1881-6510 State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, P. R. China & linyan 201429 @ 163. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 1881 - 6510 Author Kang, Ying-Qian 0000-0003-0189-9655 Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education of Guizhou and Guizhou Talent Base for Microbiology and Human Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, P. R. China & joycekangtokyo @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 0189 - 9655 joycekangtokyo@gmail.com Author Kang, Ji-Chuan 0000-0002-6294-5793 Engineering and Research Center for Southwest Bio-Pharmaceutical Resources of National Education Ministry of China, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025, P. R. China & jckang @ gzu. edu. cn; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 6294 - 5793 jckang@gzu.edu.cn Author Wijayawardene, Nalin N. State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, P. R. China & Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing, Yunnan 655011, P. R. China. & nalinWijayawardene; htttps: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 0522 - 5498 Author Li, Qi-Rui State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, P. R. China & The High Efficacy Application of Natural Medicinal Resources Engineering Center of Guizhou Province (The Key Laboratory of Optimal Utilization of Natural Medicine Resources), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guizhou Medical University, University T own, Guian New District, Guizhou, P. R. China & lqrnd 2008 @ 163. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 8735 - 2890 text Phytotaxa 2022 2022-06-14 550 2 130 146 journal article 72881 10.11646/phytotaxa.550.2.3 98175053-cfba-4d1c-b056-e9827103cc77 1179-3163 6641065 Xylaria atrosphaerica (Cooke & Massee) Callan & J.D. Rogers, Mycotaxon 36 (2): 349 (1990) ( Fig. 2 ) Synonymy: Hypoxylon atrosphaericum Cooke & Massee, Grevillea 22(no. 103): 68 (1894) Penzigia atrosphaerica (Cooke & Massee) J.N. Mill., Monograph Univ. Puerto Rico , Series B 2: 212 (1934) Kretzschmaria atrosphaerica (Cooke & Massee) P.M.D. Martin, Jl S. Afr. Bot. 36(2): 79 (1970) Kretzschmaria atrosphaerica (Cooke & Massee) P.M.D. Martin, Jl S. Afr. Bot. 42(1): 74 (1976) MycoBank number: MB 127393 Saprobic on dead wood, forming on the host surface. Sexual morph : Stromata semiglobular or irregularly globose, pulvinate, 0.4‒1.8 mm high × 1.4‒3.2 mm broad ( x = 1.4 × 2.3 mm , n = 10), with flattened or slightly convex top. Exterior grey dark to black, roughened by fine cracks and ostioles; interior whithish to light grey. Perithecia 0.3‒0.8 mm diam., completely immersed, sphaerical. Ostioles inconspicuous. Asci 182‒288 × 12.3‒20 μm ( x = 237 × 16.1 μm, n = 30), unitunicate, 8-spored, cylindrical, long-stipitate, apically rounded, with a J+, wedge-shaped apical ring, blue staining in Melzer’s reagent, 7–12 μm ( x = 10 μm, n = 30) high, 3.5–7 μm ( x = 5.4 μm, n = 30) wide. Ascospores 20.5–25.5 × 6.5–10 μm ( x = 22.7 × 7.8 μm, n = 30), brownish-black, unicellular, ellipsoid to inequilateral, with broadly rounded ends, smooth, with a sigmoid germ slit nearly half spore-length, lacking appendages and sheaths. Asexual morph : Undetermined. Specimens examined : CHINA , Guizhou Province , Duyun City, Doupengshan Nature Reserve ( 26.223062°N , 107.22846°E ), elev. 1086 m , on dead wood of unidentified plant, June 2021 , Youpeng Wu, 2021DPS13 (GMB0077, KUN-HKAS 122633; living culture, GMBC 0077). Culture characteristics : Colonies on OA reaching 4–5 mm diam. after 2 weeks at 25 °C. White at first, with regular margins, becoming moderately radiating furrows spreading toward the edge, medium becoming black from central; reverse greyish black ring in the center, white marginal area. After 4 weeks, colonies on OA reaching 9 cm diam., white, velvety, appressed with entire margins; reverse dark black. No conidia were observed. Notes : Hypoxylon atrosphaericum Cooke & Massee collected from Queensland was described originally by Cooke (1894). Rogers et al . (1987) described the asexual morph of Penzigia atrosphaerica collected from Indonesia . However, based primarily on the nature of cultures, Callan & Rogers (1990) placed them in the genus Xylaria . Morphologically, our new collection (GMB0077) is congruent with X. atrosphaerica having semi-globular or irregularly globose stromata, grey dark to black, internally white; surface roughened by fine cracks and ostioles and perithecial mounds inconspicuous, brownish-black, ellipsoid-inequilateral, smooth ascospores (17–25 × 6–10 μm), with oblique to spiral germ slit, nearly 1/2 spore-length, lacking sheaths and appendages. Phylogenetic analyses showed that GMB0077 resembles with X. atrosphaerica (HAST 91111214) with high statistical support (100% ML, 1.00 BYPP; Fig. 1 ).