Xylaria schweinitzii, illustration by the author. To the left, a mature fruiting body and three immature fruiting bodies. Mature Xylaria schweinitzii may be quite large, more than 12 cm tall in many cases. In the center, a detail of the surface of a mature fruiting body, with a cut-away showing the round perithecia completely embedded. To the right, spores in asci, and a close up of the spores and ascus tip, showing the characteristic diagonal, short germ slit in the spores, and the inverted-hat shaped apical plug in the ascus.
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