Dracophyllum subulatum Hook.f. Wellington: Pangarara River, Mt. Tongariro, 3,500ft, December 1946, E.M.Smith, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 7447; same locality, 4,000ft, January 1955, G.H.C.; Desert Road, Mt. Tongariro, 2,900ft, August 1955, September 1956, G.H.C.

Hymenophore pileate, coriaceous, annual, adnate, consisting of narrow linear resupinate areas from which arise effused-reflexed pilei on one or commonly both lateral margins, or wholly resupinate, at first orbicular and 0.2^-0.5 mm across, soon merging to form linear areas 1-15 x 0.2-1.5 cm. Pilei 3-8 mm wide, surface dingy grey to fuscus, or black when old, with concolorous or lighter margins, scantily strigose, tufts imbricate and often confined to marginal areas, becoming naked; hymenial surface bright tan, fawn, or ferruginous, deeply radiately creviced in small areas about 10 mm across; margins thinning out, lighter in colour and hirsute in resupinate plants, concolorous and commonly lobed in pileate forms, free. Context golden yellow, to 250 µ thick, composed of an intermediate tissue of radiate parallel hyphae bordered by two colour zones, that beneath the subhymenium pallid brown, of mainly parallel hyphae, the cortex reddish-brown, of compact, cemented, thick-walled hyphae; hyphal system dimitic; skeletal hyphae 3.5-4.5 µ diameter, walls 0.5 µ thick, golden yellow, sparsely branched and septate; generative hyphae to 3 µ diameter, walls 0.2 µ thick, hyaline, freely branched and septate. Setal layer to 130 µ deep, of two or three overlapping rows of setae arising from the subhymenium; setae projecting to 50 µ, subulate with broad bases sometimes curved, and bluntly acuminate apices, 65-95 x 10-16 µ, walls to 4 µ thick, verruculose, bright reddish-brown, with relatively wide lumina. Hymenial layer to 50 µ deep, a close palisade of basidia and paraphyses. Basidia subclavate, 12-25 x 4-5 µ, 4-spored; sterigmata arcuate, slender, to 6 µ long. Paraphyses subclavate, same diameter, but slightly shorter than the basidia. Spores alIantoid, apiculate, 5-6.5 x 1.5-2 µ, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.2 µ thick.

DISTRIBUTION: New Zealand.

HABITAT: On bark of dead stems and twigs associated with a white rot.

Pileata, annua, coriacea. Pilei effuso-reflexi, ex partibus linearibus resupinatis orti; superficie cineracea vel fusca, raro strigosa, deinde nuda; margine lacerato, concolori. Superficies hymenii alutacea, hinnulea vel ferruginea, radiatim rimosa, margine lobato, concolori. Contextus hypharum parallelarum, luteus, compactus; cortex adest. Hypharum systema dimiticum. Setarum stratum 2-3 ordinibus, subulatis, verruculosis, 65-95 x 10-16 µ, partim superimpositis, ad 50 µ eminentibus. Basidia subclavata, 12-25 x 4-5 µ, 4 sporis allantoidibus, 5-6.5 x 1.5-2 µ.

Specific features are the effused-reflexed fructifications forming narrow linear areas on twigs and stems; pallid colour of the hymenial surface, dark usually naked exterior surface of the pileus, prominent colour zones, 2-3 rows of obese setae which are often distorted and with relatively wide lumina, and allantoid spores. Crevices upon the hymenial surface, present in all collections, resemble those of resupinate forms of H. tabacina. The subhymenial colour zone varies appreciably in thickness, is often interrupted and may form branches which traverse the context. The species appears to be confined to one host, and so far has been collected only in a small area on the eastern slopes of Mt. Tongariro, near the Desert Road.
Though resembling H. tabacina in many microfeatures, the species differs in that setae are less crowded, appear in fewer rows, are shorter, broader, and with wide lumina; in macrofeatures they are quite dissimilar.

Dracophyllum subulatum Hook.f. Wellington: Pangarara River, Mt. Tongariro, 3,500ft, December 1946, E.M.Smith, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 7447

ARALIACEAE. Neopanax colensoi: Westland, Douglas Rock, Copland Valley, 1,200 m. CONIFERAE. Phyllocladus trichomanoides: Wellington, Oturere River, Mt. Tongariro, 1,350 m. Podocarpus ferrugineus: Auckland, Mµm Karioi, 700 m. CUNONIACEAE. Weinmannia silvicola: Auckland, Helena Bay. ELAEOCARPACEAE. Elaeocarpus dentatus: Auckland, Taupiri Mt., 300 m. FAGACEAE. Nothofagus fusca: Wellington, Days Bay, 120 m. Nothofagus truncata: Auckland, Orere Point. LAURACEAE. Beilschmiedia tawa: Auckland, Waiomu Valley, Thames, 35 m; Claudelands Reserve, Hamilton, 35 m; Waitomo, 80 m; Lake Rotoehu, 400-450 m. Wellington, Lake Papaitonga, 20 m. MELIACEAE. Dysoxylum spectabile: Auckland, Little Barrier Island. MONIMIACEAE. Hedycarya arborea: Auckland, Kauri Park, Northcote; Waiatarua, Waitakere Ranges, 300 m; Waiomu Valley, Thames, 35 m. MYRSINACEAE. Myrsine australis: Auckland, Upper Piha Valley, 250 m; Rangitoto Island; Clevedon, 10 m; Kauaeranga Valley, Thames, 120 m; Waiomu Valley, Thames, 35 m. MYRTACEAE. Lophomyrtus bullata: Auckland, Lake Rotoehu, 400-150 m. Wellington, Ruahine Ranges, 500 m. PAPILIONACEAE. Sophora microphylla: Auckland, Purewa Bush, 35 m. PITTOSPORACEAE. Pittosporum tenuifolium: Auckland, Campbells Bay, 80 m; Lake Rotoehu, 400 m. Pittosporum umbellatum: Auckland, Little Barrier Island. PROTEACEAE. Knightia excelsa: Auckland, Puketi, Bay of Islands; Whangarei Heads; Rangitoto Island; Piha, 15 m; Mountain Road, Henderson Valley, 250 m; Purewa Bush, 35 m. RUBIACEAE. Coprosma arborea: Auckland, Little Barrier Island. SAPINDACEAE. Alectryon excelsus: Wellington, Lake Papaitonga, 20 m. UNKNOWN HOSTS. Auckland, Swanson, 120 m. New South Wales, Sydney; Robertson.

Hymenophore pileate or resupinate, sometimes reviving a second season, membranous-coriaceous, loosely attached. Pilei either conchate when attached by an umbo, dimidiate, or more frequently effused-reflexed with pilei arising from margins of broadly resupinate bases, 1-25 x 1-5 cm, when resupinate linear or disciform with free margins, of indefinite length; pileus surface some shade of brown, lighter peripherally with fulvous margins, radiately sulcate, finely tomentose, sometimes when old naked and dingy fuscous; hymenial surface commonly tobacco-brown, with bright fulvous margins, velutinate, oµmen with a chestnut tinge, resupinate portions often deeply creviced in radiate series about 10 mm diameter, sometimes creviced irregularly, or even; margin thinning out, lighter in colour, crenate, free. Context ferruginous, 0.3-0.6 mm thick, of parallel hyphae radiately arranged, bordered on the abhymenial surface by a darker, compact and cemented cortex, and beneath the hymenium by a darker chestnut zone associated with the setal layer; skeletal hyphae 4-5 µm diameter, walls 0.5-1 µm thick, golden brown; generative hyphae 2-2.5 µm diameter, walls 0.2 µm thick, hyaline. Setal layer 160-300 µm deep, composed of 3-5 overlapping rows of setae some of which project to 90 µm; setae aculeate, 80-130 x 14-22 µm, walls finely verruculose, chestnut, lumena narrow. Hymenial layer to 40 µm deep, a close palisade of basidia and paraphyses. Basidia subclavate, 12-20 x 4-5 µm, bearing 4 spores; sterigmata erect, slender, to 4 µm long. Paraphyses subclavate, 10-14 x 3.5-4 µm. Spores allantoid, 6-8 x 1.5-2 µm, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.2 µm thick.

DISTRIBUTION: Great Britain, Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand.

HABITAT: Bark of dead branches associated with a white rot.

One of the most abundant species present in New Zealand, but rare in Australia, H. tabacina may be identified by the following features. Plants are either effused-reflexed, sessile with free margins of lighter colour, or as frequently resupinate. A deeply coloured cortex borders the abhymenial surface and a second colour zone lies beneath the hymenium, sometimes extending into the setal layer. From the cortex abhymenial hairs arise both in pileate and resupinate specimens, consequently plants are loosely attached to the substratum. The setal layer is more deeply coloured than the context, and the number of rows of setae increases with age, or position, being more numerous towards the centre and thinning out towards margins, where but one or two rows may be developed. Setae are stout, rich reddish-brown, with verruculose apices. Spores are allantoid, abundant and borne upon short sterigmata.
Colour and thickness of fructifications appear to be influenced by latitude and altitude. Plants from this region, save from the mountains, are more coriaceous and of deeper colour than typical specimens from the northern latitudes of Europe and North America. Commonly tobacco-brown, New Zealand plants often exhibit a reddish-brown colour when viewed at an angle under a lens, because of projecting setae. Many may develop a second growth form upon an earlier fructification. They agree with European specimens in microfeatures, although even these may vary appreciably. In some resupinate specimens the hymenial surface is creviced in orbicular series, each about one centimetre in diameter, crevices radiating from the centre. The condition is more common in European and North American collections than in those from this region. It is not confined to this species, but occurs also in some specimens of H. floridea and all plants of H. obesa.

TYPE LOCALITY: England.