On dead bark of (1) Weinmania racemosa, Nelson, Oparara River, 23 Jan. 1964, R. F. R. McNabb; (2) unknown host, Oparara, 20 Jan. 1964, R. F. R. McNabb.

Fructifications soft-gelatinous, indeterminate, greyish hyaline when fresh, drying to a dusky, varnish-like film, effused, forming areas up to 10 cm in extent, surface tuberculate or corrugated. Internal hyphae septate, often constricted at septa, walls slightly thickened, to 8 µm. diam., clamp connections absent. Probasidia arising laterally from terminal primordial cells, thin-walled, saccate, oblong-ovoid, 20-32 x 7.5-11.5 µm. Metabasidia arising terminally from primordial cells, narrow then enlarged distally, transversely 3-septate, 67-105 x 7.5-9 µm, sterigmata to 10 µm long. Basidiospores curved-cylindrical to ovate-ellipsoid, hyaline, bluntly apiculate, 14-18.5 x 7-9 µm. Germination by repetition.

Angiosperm bark and wood.

ILLUSTRATIONS. Baker, Ann. Mo. bot. Gdn 23: pls. 7-12, f. 1-71. 1936; Olive, Mycologia 40: 589, f. 8-20. 1948.

Helicogloea lagerheimii is the most variable species in the genus. Baker (1936, p. 97) gave the range in spore size as 8-18 x 4-9 µm., and later (Baker 1946, p. 631) as 8-25 x 4-13 µm. Olive (1948, p. 588) described a collection with spores 22.6-29.6 x 8.7-12.2 µm., thus extending the range even further.
Production of additional basidia by proliferation of the subterminal cells is a common occurrence in the New Zealand material.

TYPE LOCALITY:
Ecuador.