White, minute, hemispherical or subglobose, hollow, scattered on a uniform brown substratum consisting of even, curled, brown threads.

On underside of fallen leaves.

Minuta, alba, haemispherica vel subglobosa, insigniter cava, floccis crispis fuscis intertextis oriunda.

HABITAT: On leaf hairs of Bedfordia sp., and B. salicina.

AUSTRALIA. Victoria, Royston Rd, 2 mi from Rubicon, on leaves of Bedfordia salicina, 26 Sep 1962, G.Beaton s.n. (K).

APOTHECIAL MORPHOLOGY: Apothecia stipitate-cupulate, ca 150-200 µm diam, 200-250 µm high when rehydrated; when dry the margin inrolled over the hvmenium, then the margin and upper receptacle appearing pulverulent-white, lower receptacle pale pulverulent-yellow to pulverulent-tan; when rehydrated receptacle and stipe lighter than dry colors, the margin extended above the hymenium in the form of a collarette, not constricted; apothecia gregarious amongst the hairs on the undersides of Bedfordia leaves. APOTHECIAL ANATOMY: Asci 8-spored, (30-)33-35(-37) x (3-)4-5 µm, clavate. slightly tapered toward the base and there rounded; the apex slightly tapered but not papillate, not measurably thickened, the ascus pore channel J+ in Melzer's rea-ent, visible as two short, light blue lines in optical cross-section. Ascospores clavate, 4-5 x 1.5-2.0 µm, aseptate, the apex rounded, tapered toward the basal end and there subacute or rounded, smooth, hyaline, with a large central guttule or small, polar guttules, overlapping, uniseriate in the ascus. Paraphyses cylindrical, smooth, hyaline, aseptate, unbranched., even in outline, the apex rounded. equalling the asci, ca 2.0 µm wide. Subhymenium well developed and differentiated from the medullary excipulum, smooth, hyaline, ca 10 µm thick in its center, individual elements difficult to discern due to their small size and compact arrangement, hyphae ca 1.0-1.5 µm wide. Medullary excipulum poorly differentiated from the subhymenium, obconical, smooth and hyaline in the center, becoming pigmented very pale olivaceous at the junction with the ectal excipulum, not extending into the margin, ca 4 µm wide at the junction of the flanks and margin, ca 110 µm wide at the broadest portion, ending at the upper ca 1/3 portion of the stipe, consisting of compact, vertically oriented, narrow, long-celled hyphae, individual cells ca 10 x 1.5-2.0 µm. Ectal excipulum well developed and differentiated from the medullary excipulum, smooth, hyaline, forming a layer ca 20 µm wide in the margin, there the margin extending to ca 100 µm above the top of the ascl, broadening slightly to ca 25 µm wide in the flanks, subtending the medullary excipulum in the lower ca 2/3 portion of the stipe, there ca 60 µm wide, the lower ca 2/3 portion of the stipe ca 100 µm long, consisting of relatively broad, smooth, hyaline hyphae oriented at a low angle to the surface of the receptacle and immersed in a gel, individual cells ca 15-18 x 2.0-2.5 µm. Outer surface of the margin and receptacle covered with hyaline, amorphous crystals.

PRESUMED HOLOTYPE of Peziza epitephra Berkeley: AUSTRALASIA. TASMANIA. [on the under side of fallen leaves, Archer, Berkeley (1859)] (K).

AUSTRALIA. TASMANIA: Ex herb. Berkeley (type, K). NEW ZEALAND. WELLINGTON: Tararua Ra., Pukemoremore Summit, on Brachyglottis galopus (Raoul) Nordenstam, 10 Feb 1985, P. R. Johnston D104 (PDD 49099); P. R. Johnston D105 (PDD 49059).

Although not mentioned by Carpenter (1981), C. epitephrum has divaricating cells lining the receptacle above the level of the hymenium. In New Zealand collections, the base of the short stipe of many apothecia is black, with the upper part of the stipe and the receptacle being white and pulverulent. C. epitephrum was previously known only from the leaf tomentum of Bedfordia sp. (Asteraceae) from Australia.