xylaria

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A large genus of pyrenomycetous fungi having erect, black stipitate, cylindrical or clavate, simple or branched, corky stromata covered with a layer of perithecia. The spores are unicellular and dark-colored. Over 200 species have been described. Many occur in the tropics and some are cosmopolitan, growing on decaying wood. X. Hypoxylon is common and widely distributed, being rather variable in form of branching.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. type genus of Xylariaceae; fungi with perithecia in the upper part of erect black woody stromata