Mariya Fedorovna Smitskaya was born in the village Trushki (Belotserkovsky district, Kiev region, Ukraine) on 28 July 1926 in the family of a teacher. After finishing secondary school, M.F. Smitskaya entered the Biological Department of Kiev University. In 1949 she graduated from the University and got a designation to the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, as laboratory assistant of the Mycological Department. In 1952 she began her postgraduate study on mycology in the same Institute under the direction of professor S.F. Morochkovsky. The subjects of her investigations were fungi of the beech forests of Transcarpathians. M.F. Smitskaya studied species diversity of Oomycetes, Zygomycetes, Askomycetes, Basidiomycetes and also mitospore fungi in the beech forests of the region, covering all ecological groups (saprophytes, parasites, xylophages, herbophyles, generators of mycorhiza, mycophyles etc.). In 1955 M.F. Smitskaya published her first article "Fungus Diseases of Wood and Shrub Vegetation of the Beech Forests of Transcarparthian region", which was based on her own collections, in "The Ukrainian Botanical Journal". In 1956 M.F. Smitskaya defended PhD thesis "Mycoflora of the Beech Forests of Transcarpathian Region", in which she listed 305 species and 23 varieties of fungi. 47 species were described from the territory of the Ukraine for the first time. Just after defence M.F. Smitskaya joined to a group of mycologists, which worked on the creation of the voluminous "Guide for Identification of the Ukrainian Fungi" under leadership of Professor S.F. Morochkovsky. For this book M.F. Smitskaya worked up taxa from different systematic groups, with different morphology and ecology: some groups of myxomycetes, inoperculate and operculate discomycetes (orders Hysteriales, Pezizales, Helotiales, Tuberales), separate genera of coelomycetes, Uredinaria and Ustilaginaceae (along with S.F. Morochkovsky). Her elaborations (keys for definition, diagnosis, data on distribution of specific fungi species from different geo-botanical areas of the Ukraine) were published in I-IV volumes of "Guide for Identification of the Ukrainian Fungi" ("Vyznachnyk grybiv Ukrayiny"). M.F. Smitskaya made an important contribution to the creation of a vast array of information materials of these volumes: indices of fungi names in Latin and Ukrainian, Latin and Ukrainian names of host plants etc. Still working on the handbook, during the 1960s, M.F. Smitskaya began to investigate species diversity, morphology, biology, ecology and distribution of operculated discomycetes of the Ukrainian fauna. The first outcome of this group investigation was published in monograph devoted to Pezizales fungi. In 1975 M.F. Smitskaya published the critical systematic review on 101 species of Pezizales fungi from 23 genera. Furthermore, on the basis of peculiarities of spore and ascocarp morphology, M.F. Smitskaya distinguished a few evolutionary lineages of Pezizales. Within the group of species with spherical ascospores she proposed to separate genera with bald ascocarp (Plicariella, Barlaea) and those with hair on ascocarp (Pseudoplectania, Pithya etc.). On the basis of ascocarp structure, Smitskaya has distinguished 3 groups of genera within Pezizales fungi with elliptical spores: with ascocarps developed on mycelium interlacement (Melachroia); with ascocarps covered with hair (Lachnea, Sarcoscypha etc.) and, in some cases, posessing elongated stipes; with ascocarps fixed to the substrate with all surface (Reumeria, Peziza, Aleuria and others). In the late seventies of ?? century, when the collective of mycologists of her department began to prepare fundamental edition of "Flora of Fungi of the Ukraine" in 40 volumes, M.F. Smitskaya arranged her materials on operculate discomycetes as a self-contained volume of this edition. The volume was published in 1980. It contained, in addition to critical and systematic review of 137 species of 36 genera of operculate discomycetes, the scheme of evolutionary linkage of genera, data on distribution of this group in geobotanical areas of the Ukraine. All materials prepared by M.F. Smitskaya to this volume of "Flora..." underlay her Doctoral thesis "Operculated Discomycetes (order Pezizales) of the Ukraine. Flora, Systematics, Ecology, Phylogeny and the ways of Evolution", which was defended in 1987. Simultaneously with investigations of operculated discomycetes, M.F. Smitskaya carried out collection and identification of pyrenomycetes from the orders Hypocreales, Xylariales, and also of some families of the order Sphaeriales. These taxa were working up by M.F. Smitskaya for "Guide for Identification of Pyrenomycetes of the Ukrainian SSR" (1986), prepared along with L.V. Smyk and T.A. Merezhko. The fungi of order Hypocreales have become a subject for further detailed investigations of M.F. Smitskaya and the next volume of "Flora of Fungi of the Ukraine" (1991) was devoted to them in particular. Smitskaya managed to reveal 65 Hypocreales species on the territory of the Ukraine and most of them turned out a rare and even new for the Ukrainian flora. In the volume of "Flora of Fungi of the Ukraine" (1991) a profound analysis of the place and the range of fungi of order Hypocreales within the Ascomycetes system was made, their morphological and biological characteristics as well as their links with anamorphs of different types were elucidated in details. During the last years of her life M.F. Smitskaya strongly studied cup fungi of the order Xylariales, but she had no time to arrange the results of her investigation as a next volume of "Flora of Fungi of the Ukraine". Scientific advances of M.F. Smitskaya were marked by medals, diplomas and the National Prize of the Ukraine in the field of science and technique (within the author's collective of "Flora of Fungi of the Ukraine"). Lists. Publications. Kirk & Ansell form of name: Smitska.