Leptospermum ericoides A. Rich. Auckland: Great Island; Three Kings, December, 1945, January, 1951, G.T.S. Baylis; Whangarei Heads, 300ft, July, 1947, G.H.C.; Silverdale, October, 1950, J.M. Dingley; Kauri Glen; Northcote, August, 1951, J.M. Dingley; Cornwallis, 50ft, November, 1952, J.D. Atkinson; Atkinson Park, Titirangi, 900ft, June, 1953, J.M. Dingley; Karekare, July, 1954, J.M. Dingley. Wellington: Waikato River, Kaimanawa Ranges, 2,800ft; January, 1955, G.H.C. Leptospermum scoparium Forst. Auckland: Huka Falls, 1,200ft, September, 1938, G.W. Matthews; Birkenhead Kauri Park, July, 1946, J.M. Dingley; Orakei Bush, September. 1948, D.W. McKenzie; Cascades, Waitakeres, September; 1948, P.M. Ambler; Parahaki, Whangarei, May, 1949, J.M. Dingley; Titirangi, Waitakeres, 900ft, July, 1951, J.M. Dingley; Anawhata Road, Waitakeres, 900ft, May, 1954, J.M. Dingley; Rereatukahia Reserve, Katikati, 350ft, September, 1954, G.H.C. Wellington: York Bay, 300ft, August, 1922, G.H.C., part of type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 630; York Bay, 350ft, March, 1923, E.J. Butler-G.H.C.; Featherston, November. 1947, G.H.C.; Turangi, 1,200ft, October, 1949, J.M. Dingley; Pangarara River, Mt. Tongariro, 3,000ft, September, 1953, G.H.C. Nelson: Maitai Valley, 500ft, September, 1953, L.W. Tiller.

Hymenophore annual, coriaceous, pezizoid, orbicular with margins free and attached by a narrow base, 2-7 mm diameter, often laterally confluent, forming linear areas to 2.5 cm in length; exterior surface white, tomentose, margins inturned, acute, entire or lobed; hymenial surface slightly concave, pruinose, even or dimpled in large specimens, flesh colour, not creviced. Context white, to 0.5 mm thick, composed of compacted hyphae radiately arranged, with embedded crystals at the base of the subhymenium; tomentum of two types (1) long, cylindrical and unbranched. covered with densely arranged spines; (2) angled hyphae bearing hooked spines near the bends; generative hyphae to 6 µ diameter, walls 0.5-1.5 µ thick, hyaline, branched, septate, with clamp connexions. Hymenial layer to 190 µ deep, a dense palisade of basidia, paraphyses, acanthophyses and gloeocystidia. Basidia clavate, projecting slightly, 110-160 x 16-22 µ, 4-spored; sterigmata arcuate, subulate, to 16 µ long. Paraphyses subclavate, to 100 x 10 µ. Acanthophyses arising in the base of the subhymenium and traversing the hymenium, cylindrical, to 8 µ diameter, covered throughout with lateral blunt spines 2-4 µ long. Gloeocystidia arising in the base of the subhymenium and traversing the hymenium to different levels, flexuous-cylindrical, 60-250 x 7-12 µ, walls 0.5 µ thick. Spores obovate, elliptical with one side slightly flattened, or a few D-shaped, 18-20 x 12-15 µ, walls finely verruculose-aculeate, hyaline, 0.5 µ thick, amyloid.

TYPE LOCALITY. York Bay, Wellington, New Zealand.
DISTRIBUTION. New Zealand.

HABITAT. Scattered or confluent on bark of dead branches and stems.

Fructifications are pezizoid, rarely cupulate, and attached by a narrow base with margins free. The hymenial layer is deep, and densely compacted. Acanthophyses are abundant, cylindrical, and covered throughout with bluntly pointed lateral spines. In the surface tomentum there are present both this type of acanthophyses and angled branched hyphae bearing long, acuminate, often hooked spines. Spores are for the most part obovate or elliptical with a basal apiculus, though a few detached spores were seen to be D-shaped. They are smaller than those of A. mirabilis and A. zealandicus. The species appears to be confined to two species of Leptospermum.
Lloyd's description of the type is faulty in most particulars. Pilei are pezizoid, not resupinate; the hymenial surface is flesh-pink, not ochraceous; there are no filiform paraphyses, and acanthophyses are crowded, not rare; spores are not compressed-globose and smooth, but obovate or elliptical and verruculose-aculeate.
Three species. A. mirabilis, A. ochraceo-flavus and A. zealandicus, show a close resemblance to one another. Fructifications are pezizoid, tomentose at margins witlh branched spinose hairs and acanthophyses, basidia are similar in size and shape, spores are verruculose-aculeate, and acanthophyses cylindrical and spinose. Separation may be made upon the differences in spores, acanthophyses and tomentum. Acanthophyses are spinose on the upper third in A. zealandicus, throughout their length in A. ochraceo-flavus, and of two types in A. mirabilis. Spores are commonly D-shaped or citriform in A. mirabilis and A. zealandicus, obovate or elliptical in A. ochraceo-flavus, coarsely aculeate in A. zealandicus and finely verruculose-aculeate in A. mirabilis and A. ochraceo-flavus.