CONIFERAE. Cupressus macrocarpa: Auckland, Tauranga, 20 m; Otumoetai, 35 m. Dacrydium cupressinum: Auckland, Waikaretu, 120 m; Campbells Bay, 75 m; Te Puke, 10 m. Pinus radiata: Auckland, Oratia, 20 m. Nelson, Appleby, 30 m. MYRTACEAE. Eucalyptus sp.: Canterbury, West Eyreton, 150 m. Leptospermum scoparium: Auckland, Moturoa Island, Bay of Islands. PROTEACEAE. Knightia excelsa: Auckland, Rangitoto Island. UNKNOWN HOST: South Australia, Kinchina.

Hymenophore annual, membranous, at first adherent, tending to become detached in flakes, effused forming irregularly linear areas 6-10 x 2-5 cm; hymenial surface ochraceous, soon olivaceous or pallid umber, even, finely sparsely and tardily creviced towards the centre; margin thinning out, cream or tan, forming a broad fibrillose border around the darker fertile portion, adherenµm Context to 500 µmthick, ferruginous, of compact hyphae not differentiated into intermediate and basal layers, finally tending to collapse and form a pseudoparenchyma; generative hyphae 4-6 µm diameter, sometimes inflated to 12 µm, often arranged in cordons, walls 0.5 µmthick, hyaline or more usually tinted brown towards the base and encrusted with coarse crystals, branched, septate. Hymenial layer to 65 µm deep, a loose palisade of basidia and paraphyses. Basidia subcylindrical, 35-60 x 6-7 µm, bearing 2-4 spores; sterigmata arcuate, to 6 µmlong. Paraphyses subclavate, 18-35 x 5-6 µm. Spores elliptical, oval, obovate, or pip-shaped, sometimes flattened on one side, apiculate, occasionally obliquely so, 10-13 x 6-9 µm, walls smooth, ferruginous, 0.75 µm thick.

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

HABITAT: Effused on bark, decorticated wood and worked timber.

Surface features of C. betulae and C. arida are practically identical. Microfeatures are distinct, however; for in C. betulae context hyphae are of greater diameter, often inflated between septa, frequently compacted into cordons near the base, encrusted, especially near the base, with coarse crystals, and usually tinted brown. Basidia are subcylindrical and narrower than those of C. arida, and spores are more irregular in shape, slightly larger, and possess thicker walls. Like C. arida the species produces a destructive decay of worked timber. The type of Thelephora luteocincta in Kew herbarium, ex "Victoria, Wangaretta" was found to be based on a fragmentary specimen of C. betulae.

TYPE LOCALITY: Europe.