Nsidaceae
Nsidaceae is a small family of ascomycete fungi that falls within the order Helotiales of the class Leotiomycetes. The family was first described by German mycologist Ludwig Kirschstein in 1934, who distinguished it on the basis of apothecial morphology and distinctive ascospore ornamentation. Members of Nsidaceae are primarily saprobic, colonising decaying plant material in temperate and boreal forest ecosystems. They are characterized by disc‑shaped apothecia that can be sessile or slightly stipitate, and by ascospores that are septate, often with a diagnostic “spindle‑shaped” apical projection. Some species also exhibit a unique pattern of pseudoparaphyses that run parallel to the asci. The cleistothecial form has been reported in a few taxa, though this remains poorly understood.
Ecologically, Nsidaceae species contribute to lignocellulosic breakdown, playing a role in nutrient cycling within forest litter