CORNACEAE. Griselinia littoralis: Otago, Horseshoe Bay, Stewart Island, 20 m, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 17421.

Hymenophore annual, membranous, adherent, effused forming irregularly linear areas to 18 x 4 cm; hymenial surface granulose-porose, white or pallid cream, not creviced; margin thinning out, white; fibrillose, adherent. Context white, 80-120 µ thick, basal layer of a few repent hyphae, intermediate layer of mainly erect hyphae more freely branched in the subhymenium; generative hyphae 4-4.5 µ diameter, walls 0.25 µ thick, most encrusted, with clamp connections. Gloeocystidia arising in the context, projecting to 20 µ, moniliform or tortuous, 40-58 x 5-8 µ, scanty. Hymenial layer to 30 µ deep, an interrupted palisade of basidia, paraphyses, and gloeocystidia arranged in tufts. Basidia subclavate, 16-20 x 4.5-5 µ, bearing 2 spores; sterigmata arcuate, slender, to 5 µ long. Paraphyses subclavate, 12-16 x 4-4.5 µ; both basidia and paraphyses encrusted. Spores rod-shaped, or allantoid, apices rounded, bases apiculate, 8-9 x 2.5-3.5 µ, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.1 µ thick

TYPE LOCALITY: Stewart Island, Otago, New Zealand.
DISTRIBUTION: New Zealand.

HABITAT: Effused on bark of dead branches.

Hymenophorum membranaceum, adnatum, effusum; superficie alba ad pallide cremea, granuloso-porosa, non rimosa. Hyphae generatoriae fibulatae, 4-4.5 µ diam. Gloeocystidia moniliformia, 40-48 x 6-8 µ. Basidia subclavata, 16-20 x 4.5-5 µ, 2 sporis. Sporae virgulaeformes, 8-9 x 2.5-3.5 µ, parietibus levibus, hyalinis. On dead wood of Griselinia littoralis, Stewart Island, Otago, N.Z.

Identified by the thin hymenophore, somewhat corymbose basidia arranged in tufts so that the hymenial surface appears slightly granulose-porose, basidia with two rod-shaped or allantoid spores, and moniliform gloeocystidia. Basidia, paraphyses, and most context hyphae are encrusted with fine crystals. Although most spores are rod-shaped, a few are allantoid. Gloeocystidia are moniliform or tortuous with deeply staining contents. The species differs from C. bisporum (Schroet.) Hoehn. & Litsch. in the presence of gloeocystidia, large rod-shaped spores and abundant clamp connections.

Hyphae hyaline, thin-walled, 3-5 µm wide, with clamps. Cystidia clavate to cylindrical, often constricted, sometimes with 1-3 apical constrictions, 32-55 X 5-8 µm, but some swellings up to 14 µm wide. Mature basidia not seen. Spores hyaline, thin-walled, smooth, cylindrical to allantoid, 8.5-10.5 2.5-3.2 x 3-4 µm, sometimes slightly constricted, not amyloid.

The original description points to Galziniella pereximia Parm., but the absence of mature basidia allows neither a positive identification nor an unequivocal assignment to a genus. However, the species may, like Galziniella pereximia, belong to Sistotrema Fr.