Summary:
Features include 1) growth on dead wood, 2) blackish fruitbodies, sometimes with brown or gray tones, that are hemispheric, nearly spherical or irregular, several often joined, at first smooth but becoming rough from protruding warts, the ostioles in valleys between, the exterior carbonous and the interior woody, 3) spores that are elliptic to almost rectangular, 1-celled or unequally 2-celled, light brown to dark, many with thickening or appendage on each end, occasionally with a germ pore, and diagonally uniseriate in an ascus that has a minute apical ring not staining in Melzer''s reagent, 4) paraphyses that are numerous and filiform, much longer than the asci.

Microscopic:
SPORES (14.5)18.5-25.5(34.0) x (7.5)8.5-11.0 microns, elliptic to somewhat elliptic-inequilateral or nearly rectangular, smooth, brown, 1-celled or unequally 2-celled, "many with apical thickening or noncellular appendage on each end", "occasionally with a germ pore at one end"; ASCUS 8-spored, 160-170 microns total length x 10-12 microns wide, cylindric, short-stemmed, the spore-bearing part 130-140 microns, with minute apical ring not staining in Melzer''s reagent; PARAPHYSES abundant, 2.5-10 microns wide, "septate, mostly unbranched, much longer than asci"; anamorph unknown, (Rogers, J), SPORES 21-30 x 8-10 microns, elliptic to navicular [boat-shaped] with acute ends, diagonally uniseriate, light brown to dark; ASCUS 120-150 x 12-15 microns in spore-bearing part, stem 30-40 microns long; PARAPHYSES numerous, filiform; PERITHECIUM 500-700 microns across and 700-1000 microns high, hemispheric with rather long neck, ostiola conic-papillate, (Miller, J.H.)

Notes:
Neohypodiscus cerebrinus has been reported from BC (Redhead)., It has been found in the US (FL and west coast, including CA), Canada, Central America, West Indies (including Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad), and South America including Brazil, (Miller, J.H.). Collections were examined from OR (site of northernmost report) and also from CA, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname, (Rogers).

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Hypoxylon cerebrinum (Fee) Cooke