Canariomyces notabilis, a peculiar Ascomycete from the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are famous not only for the climate, but also for the flora. Many endemic plants are found, mainly succulents or woody shrubs belonging to the Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Crassulaceae, Boraginaceae and Asteraceae. Monocotyledons are inconspicuous, except for Phoenix canariensis and the famous Dracaena draco. Over the last few years I collected on Gran Canaria parasitic and saprophytic fungi on plants and plant debris. These included Ascomycetes belonging to genera such as Chaetomium, Chaetomidium, Achaetomium, Emericella, Ceratocystis and Thielavia. A peculiar ascomycete, found on litter of Phoenix canariensis could not be identified. It was isolated by using viable ascospores and the following description is based on agar cultures.