Description:Join Dr. Roo Vandegrift for a rapid romp through the Xylariales an order of ascomycete ‘flask’ fungi generally growing on wood and other plant debris. Learn the important families and genera within the order illustrated with examples taken from an extensive fungal inventory conducted between December 2012 and May 2017 at the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (BHI) in Massachusetts (Haelewaters et al. 2018). A new species Xylaria finismundoensis is described: this taxon provides the decomposer ‘missing link’ for a group of a Xylaria previously only known as endophytes (a type of plant symbiont). About Roo Vandegrift:Roo Vandegrift is a queer scientist and illustrator based in Portland Oregon. He received his doctorate in mycology from the University of Oregon’s Institute of Ecology and Evolution. He has published peer-reviewed research in internationally acclaimed journals such as Microbiome Biotropica and the Journal of Tropical Conservation Science. Recently he was awarded a National Geographic Explorer grant to coordinate a multi-disciplinary international expedition to expand knowledge of biodiversity at the Los Cedros Biological Reserve in Ecuador. He is currently producing a documentary film about mining and conservation issues in Ecuador called Marrow of the Mountain.