Xylaria botuliformis is characterized mainly by small stromata with a wrinkled and finely reticulately cracked surface and minute ascospores. These features suggest the placement of X. botuliformis in the X. corniformis group. Phylogenetic analyses based on sequences from several DNA loci clustered X. botuliformis together with X. curta, a member of the X. corniformis group, and thus agree with the morphological features. The holotype of X. botuliformis is overmature, and we thus designate an epitype for it.