Spores 7.5-11 x 5-8 (9 x 6.2) µm, Q = 1.45, rather variable in size and shape, ovate to ellipsoidal, hyaline, with smooth walls and granular contents, contents becoming brownish or blue-green in KOH, inamyloid, not dextrinoid, acyanophilic. Basidia 2050 x 7-10 µm, clavate, 4-spored with conspicuous sterigmata-7 µm in length; basidioles common, like the basidia but 2.5-3 µm wide. Only a few basidia appear to mature at the same time. Cheilocystidia and pleurocystidia as usually recognised are absent but the basidia are frequently associated, both on the lamellar face and edge, with hyphoid cystidia about the same length as the basidia but narrower and with diverticulate branching towards the apex, arising at the base of the basidia or within the subhymenium (the pseudophyses of Singer & Gamundi 1963?). Trama of uniform interwoven to subparallel, hyaline, slightly thick-walled, glassy-looking hyphae, 3-6 µm diam., some with carbonaceous granules on their walls which become greenish blobs in KOH and eventually dissolve, making most of the trama and hymenium blue-green. Subhymenium of fairly closely interwoven hyphae like the trama but more closely septate and not sharply delimited from the trama. Context of similar, arrow, thickened hyphae, more branched and aboriform, but becoming thinner-walled near the pileipellis with green-staining incrustations. Pileipellis of repent hyphae giving rise to a turf of very narrow (1 -3 µm diam.) conspicuously clamped hyphae of Rameales structure, with green-staining granules, forming a network over the surface of the pileus. Stipe, when present, has similar but smaller diverticulate hyphae, some with noticeably thicker walls, arising from repent layer of slightly banded hyphae. Stroma when present also composed of narrow, thick-walled, sparsely branched hyphae. Near the surface, the hyphae are more branched and the surface bears small, erect, narrow, diverticulate hyphae with green-staining granules. All hyphae with clamp-connections, none gelatinised.

One collection (from Metrosideros bartlettii) had the hymenophore of many of the basidiomes eaten away by the larvae of a fly belonging to the Cecidomyidae. When the larval frass was squashed, ;he contents were found to be made up entirely of packets of hymenophore tissues of the fungus with the microscopic features intact. The larvae turned an unnatural greenish blue when preserved in KOH.

Anthracophyllum is a unique genus among the Agaricales on account of its unusual pigments. Many species have brownish to red pigments that are extracted by alcohol and also diffuse into the medium in preparations with KOH. Even more distinctive are the carbonaceous granules that become blue-green in KOH, diffusing into and staining the adjacent tissues green. Several species have been described, but diverse opinions exist about the validity of some of these (Lloyd 1923; Singer 1986). It seems that the basidiomes of all are very t similar in appearance and species discrimination is based largely on microscopic characters.

The majority of species now assigned to Anthracophyllum were first described in the genus Xerotus Fr. Massee (1898) described two species of Xerotus for New Zealand, X. drummondii Berk. and X. glaucophyllus Cooke & Massee. Horak (1971), however, could not locate New Zealand collections of either species at Kew. The type collection of X. drummondii (Swan R., W. Australia, K) had been shown by Pegler (1965) to be a synonym of A. archeri (Berk.) Pegler. This fungus is reported to be common in Australia and a full description is supplied by Wood (1983). No collections of A. archeri have been reported from New Zealand since the "fine specimens from New Zealand in Berkeley's herbarium" of X. drummondii were seen by Massee (1898). A number of collections of it are held, however, in PDD, Auckland, indicating that it is fairly common in some years in indigenous forest. A full description of it from these recent collections is given below.

The type collection (Colenso 1193) of the New Zealand species, X. glaucophyllus, sent to Kew by Colenso, was described by Massee (1898) as having gills "few, distant, broad, pale brick-red. becoming glaucous, and spores about 6 µ''. Lloyd (1923) considered it to be a synonym of "X berterii" (A. berteroi (Mont.) Singer) from the Juan Fernandez Island, Chile. The collection was next studied by Pegler & Young (1989), who concluded that there were no soluble pigments, and recommended that it should be included in Marasmiellus. My examination of the type material showed that KOH soluble, brown and green pigments are certainly present, and spores that still have contents also have the characteristic ovo-ellipsoid shape of Anthracophyllum, whereas empty ones tend to shrink at the basal end, changing to the lacrymoid shape often seen in Marasmiellus. All characters support the identification of this fungus as a species of Anthracophyllum. No fresh collections of this fungus appear to have been made since Colenso's, so knowledge of field characters is slight, but all the evidence that is available indicates that it should be considered a distinct species. The recombination Anthracophyllum glaucophyllum (Cooke & Massee) comb. nov. is therefore proposed, and a detailed description is given below.

Horak ( 1971 ) suggested that Resupinatus purpureo-olivaceus G.Stev., also from New Zealand might be a species of Anthracophyllum, but Pegler & Young (1989) rightly referred it to Pleurotus. The identity of this fungus will be discussed in a forthcoming publication.

Recently, collections have been made in New Zealand of a further, distinctly different Anthracophyllum species, which is described below as A. pallidum sp. nov.

Pilei flabelliformi, tenui plerumque sublobato, sulcato, glabro, opaco, siccitate atro (1.5-2.5 cm) margine abrupte recurvo; lamellis paucis, distantibus, latis, acutis, venoso-connexis, pallide lateritiis, siccitate argillaceo-glaucibus. Sporis globosis, 6 µm diam.

Additional information from the holotype:

Basidiome 15-30 x 8-20 mm diam., fan-shaped to somewhat reniform, laterally stipitate. Pileus broadly sulcate, margin undulate, scarcely inrolled except in 1 small specimen, otherwise plane, black, surface finely granular. Hymenophore dark brown (5E6) to very dark brown. Lamellae in 3 series with at least 9 principal ones in the bigger basidiomes, fairly close, broad and thin in some specimens, thick and shallow and more separated in others. In the latter case, some interveining present near margin of pileus. Stipe very small, more distinct in small basidiomes.

Spores 7-10 x 4.5-7 (8.5 x 5.5) µm, Q = 1.55, ovo-ellipsoid, variable in size which may be associated with the presence of both 2- and 4-spored basidia, inamyloid, not dextrinoid, acyanophilic, thin-walled, collapsing readily towards the basal end and appearing lacrymoid, contents with a number of refractile granules. Basidia 38-70 x 7 µm, cylindrico-clavate, 2 4-spored, sterigmata up to 6 µm in length. Hyphoid pleurocystidia are common, 45-50 x 3-4 µm, hyaline and thin-walled, irregularly narrow-clavate, often with a medial constriction and with several fine branches at the tips. Hyphoid cheilocystidia few on the heteromorphous lamellar margin, 22-25 x 2.5-3 µm, flexuose-cylindric with 1 or more irregular, short, narrow branches at the apex, hyaline, thin-walled. Trama of irregularly interwoven, hyaline, thickwalled, very uniform hyphae, 4-6 µm diam., with conspicuous but infrequent clamp-connections and no green-staining pigment. Subhymenium well-developed, filamentous. Both hymenium and subhymenium coloured a bright yellow-brown in KOH. A reddish brown pigment diffuses out into the KOH medium, possibly derived from the hymenium. Context of similar hyphae to the trama. Pileipellis of semi-erect narrow hyphae (2-3 µm diam.), with irregular nodulose to weakly diverticulate hyphal endings. The characteristic green-staining pigment seems to emanate mainly from the pileipellis and stains some or all of the context green in some basidiomes. In others the pigment occurs as patches or only as minute specks of green, scattered through the context.

No material of this species seems to have been collected since Colenso's time, but in a duplicate collection of Colenso's specimens, housed at PDD, there is a folder bearing the same number as the type (1193) and containing four packets of specimens and a scrap of paper with the following inscription in Colenso's handwriting "Hymen. Light brick red fresh. April 1/90, on dead tree, beyond Chinese". Notes from other Colenso collections suggest that this material would have been collected near Dannevirke, North Island. One packet labelled "best" and "pale brick" in Colenso's handwriting contains several almost intact basidiomes in a good state of preservation, all showing pale brown (5D4) hymenophores with a faint glaucous sheen, whereas all the other specimens, including the type, are very dark brown in the dried state. Evidently it is from this packet that Cooke (1892) took his description.

The glaucous colour in the dried state seems somewhat unusual and should be confirmed. The green-staining character was very evident in basidiomes of this collection, but spores were not plentiful and mostly rather small and subspherical, with a diameter of 6-7 µm, as noted by Cooke, perhaps indicating that the basidiomes were immature.

The description of the type of A. glaucophyllum differs from the other species described by Pegler & Young (1989) in characters such as the colour of the fresh hymenophore and the glaucous colour when dried, somewhat smaller size of the spores, the colour of the context and trama as well as hymenial and subhymenial layers, the structure of the hyphoid pleurocystidia, and the large size of the basidia. In spore size and general morphology it seems closest to the tropical species A. nigritum (Lev.) Kalchbr. but the latter has a hymenophore of a different colour, smaller, tetrasporic basidia, no hyphoid pleurocystidia, and sometimes a rudimentary stipe.

Spores 4.7 6.5 x 4-5.5 (5.2 x 4.8) µm, Q = 1.08, sub spherical to broadly pyriform, very thin walled, smooth, hyaline; inamyloid, not dextrinoid, acyanophilic, contents granular, apiculus cylindrical and very distinct, or slightly conical in pyriform spores, often with a dark, subterminal scar. Basidia 15-30 x 5.5 µm, cylindric to clavate, 1-2-4-spored, sterigmata variable in length, 2.5-6 µm; some basidia-like structures also present, with 1 or 2 apical, capitate processes slightly resembling saccate sterigmata and spores (pseudobasidia). Pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia none but occasional awl-shaped cells with pointed ends were seen extending from the hymenium. Trama has a faintly differentiated central strand of somewhat parallel hyphae, (5 µm diam., giving a bilateral appearance; lateral hyphae more loosely interwoven and merging into the filamentous subhymenium; a few oleiferous hyphae present in the trama. Context of interwoven hyphae 4 5 µm diam., some inflated to 9 µm. Pileipellis trichodermal, of erect hyphal endings from the context, sometimes in clumps of 3 or 4. Stipe cortex of narrow,  somewhat thick-walled hyphae with some scattered, short, narrow, simple protuberances (10-15 x 1-1.5 µm). All hyphae with clamp-connections.

Spores 6.5x4-6.5 (5.2x5.l)µm, Q= 1.01, globose to sub-globose, occasionally broadly pyriform, hyaline, inamyloid, not dextrinoid, acyanophilic, wall very thin, collapsing easily, apiculus usually short and distinct, occasionally extending gradually from the spore to give the pyriform spore outline, often with a distinct subterminal scar. Basidia 20-22 x 8 µm, subcylindrical to clavate, relatively short and stout, extending slightly at maturity; sterigmata (2)-4, 3-4 µm long, often scarred apically. Cheilocystidia and pleurocystidia absent. Trama fairly dense, somewhat bilateral with a central region of more or less parallel hyphae, 3-4 µm diam., lateral hyphae more interwoven, slightly divergent, merging into the narrow, filamentous subhymenium. Context of fairly densely packed hyphae, 5-6 µm diam., more parallel than interwoven and difficult to squash, merging into the loosely arranged pileipellis region with upturned hyphal endings responsible for the velutinous appearance and bundles of narrower hyphae for the villi. The pileus margin is heteromorphous, composed mainly of short, cylindrical to subclavate, flexuose to geniculate hyphal endings, some basidia and a number of more irregular cells basically narrow-subulate with a distinctive, long narrow neck. All hyphae have conspicuous clamp connections, and there was no indication of a gelatinisation.