Flora of New Zealand Series

Type : Encephalographa elisae A.Massal.

Description : Flora (1985: 164).

Encephalographa is a small genus of c. 8 species formerly included in the family Hysteriaceae (Renobales & Aguirre 1990; Tretiach & Modenesi 1999) although recently it was transferred to the family Melaspilaceae (Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004; Eriksson 2005). It is characterised by lirelliform, clustered ascomata; hymenium I−; a hamathecium of densely netted, branched anastomosing pseudoparaphyses; clavate asci with a short stalk, two functional wall layers, a thickened apex and a small ocular chamber, the endoascus I−; and colourless to brown, 1-septate ascospores that may be finely ornamented, and with a thin perispore (Renobales & Aguirre 1990; Tretiach & Modenesi 1999). Details of genus nomenclature and systematic position are discussed by Renobales & Aguirre (1990). One species is recorded from New Zealand (Lindsay 1866a).