The genus Biscogniauxia, a member of the family Xylariaceae, has a worldwide distribution with over 50 taxa recognised. Biscogniauxia mediterranea is well known as the causative agent of charcoal canker in cork oak and is a serious problem in Portugal. Other species also cause canker under specific conditions. There is good evidence that these species occur in healthy living trees as endophytes and then become invasive under water stress conditions. The ability of B. nummularia, B. nothofagi and B. uniapiculata to cause cankers in Fagus, Nothofagus and Eucalyptus respectively is reported here.

A method is described which allows the diversity of agarics in a site to be determined as an index, the Site Diversity Index (SDI). For this the individual species recorded from a site are given a score which is that of the frequency of recording class to which it has been assigned, that score increasing with increased rarity of recording in the BMS database. The methods of defining the classes of frequency of recording, the score accorded to a class, and the calculation of the SDI are described. Examples of the SDI are given for several sites in the Forest of Dean as well as for other sites and areas. Site Profiles illustrate the extent to which each of the classes has been completed. The flattening of the rate of accumulation of species is discussed. Further progress will involve the widening of the range of included species to those of other classes of basidiomycetes. The method can be used to rank sites and, in the early stages of a survey and given the meeting of two criteria, to prediction of future diversity of a site. Further use in respect of Important Fungus Areas and conservation sites is envisaged.

The host range and distribution of species of Epichloë in Britain are investigated based on herbarium material held at Kew and an assessment of the literature and other available records. Six species of the genus can now be recognised in Britain, three of which are reported for the first time, and Holcus mollis is confirmed as a host for E. clarkii. A potential seventh species, E. elymi, requires confirmation as British. Brief descriptions, with host range, and a key for the identification of these species are presented.