Synopsis of Some Genera of the Large Pyrenomycetes Camillea, Thamnomyces, Engleromyces

This compact work offers a close‑up look at the large Pyrenomycetes that populate tropical forests, centering on the enigmatic genus Camillea. Prompted by a fresh specimen from Brazil, the author retraces the history of its naming—once lumped with the broad “Sphaeria” group—and untangles the early taxonomic confusion that still echoes in modern mycology. The narrative reads like a laboratory journal, noting how countless “Hypoxylons” collected over the years may in fact belong to Camillea, and hinting at names waiting to be clarified.

Illustrations drawn from the author’s European museum visits accompany meticulous descriptions of stalk‑like stromata, perithecial arrangements, and spore shapes that differentiate two internal sections: Eu­camillea, with persistent fruiting bodies, and Phylacia, whose perithecia dissolve into a powdery mass. For listeners fascinated by the natural world’s hidden details, the book serves as both a historical snapshot of early twentieth‑century fungal study and a guide to identifying these striking, carbon‑rich fungi.