On the ground. Maungaroa (154).

Herb. HK. ZT 67/241: 'W of Kopara, Lake Haupiri, Ngahere, Prov. Westcoast, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 12.XII.1967'. - Herb. HK. ZT 68/223: ‘Red Jack Valley, Ngahere, Prov. Westcoast, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 28.III.1968'.

Pileus 10-25 mm diam., hemispherical, broadly convex, in age convex to plane and the centre of the pileus often depressed, margin always incurved, scarlet when young and fresh, fading to red-yellow, bleached when old, fibrillose-scurfy to minutely scaly (especially at the disc), dry, estriate. Lamellae broadly adnate to subdecurrent, ventricose, distant, concolorous with pileus becoming reddish to orange. Stipe 15-40 x 1.5-4 mm, cylindric. equal, sometimes tapering towards the base, dry, fistulose, glabrous. Context yellow to orange, scarlet beneath the cuticle and in the cortex of the stipe. Taste and odor not distinctive. Chemical reactions on pileus: KOH yellow; HCl – negative. Spores 7.5-9 x 4.5-5.5 µm, ovoid, smooth, inamyloid. Basidia 30-42 x 7-9 µm, 4-spored. Cystidia absent. Cuticle a trichodermium consisting of cylindric, not gelatinized hyphae (6-15 µm diam.), terminal elements subclavate, orange-red plasmatic pigment present. Clamp connections present or absent.

On soil under ferns or amongst mosses (under Nothofagus, Dacrydium, Weinmannia, Quintinia, etc.). New Zealand, cosmopolitan (?) species.

Hesler & Smith 1963.

The N.Z. material of H. miniata (Fr.) corresponds in all characters with the specimen described and illustrated from Europe and North America. In New Zealand the first record of this conspicuous fungus was made by Cooke (1879) and was mentioned later again by Colenso (1890). H. pseudococcineus Hongo ss. Stevenson may be placed close to forms of H. miniata (Fr.) but further observations are necessary in order to obtain more information about this species. According to Cleland (1934: 71) H. miniata (Fr.) also occurs in New South Wales, Australia.

SPECIMENS: NZ: G, Urewera N. P., ZT 809. - N, Reefton, Awarau River, Larry's Creek, ZT 2010. - WL: Ngahere, Kopara, Lake Ahaura, ZT 67/241; same locality, ZT 68/134; Ngahere, Red Jack Valley, ZT 68/223; Whataroa, Okarito, ZT 1982.

Pileus -35 mm, convex soon expanded with plane to depressed centre, margin always incurved, not upturned: brilliant red (scarlet, blood red) when young and fresh, fading to red-yellow, colour often bleaching in old specimens; dry, minutely fibrillose to scurfy-scaly (especially at disc), margin nonstriate. - Lamellae 6-18 (1-3-5) broadly adnate to subdecurrent, often ± triangular, up to 5 mm wide, not ventricose; concolorous with pileus, occasionally with orange tint, bleaching to whitish, reddish pink or pale orange, edges concolorous, entire. – Stipe 15-40 x 1.5-4 mm, cylindrical, equal or (often) tapering into base and enlarged into pileus; concolorous with pileus, paler or whitish towards base; dry, glabrous (rarely minutely fibrillose), hollow to fistulose, single or caespitose. - Context red beneath cuticle of pileus and cortex of stipe, otherwise pale yellow-orange. - Odour and taste not distinctive. - Chemical rcactions on pileus: KOH - yellow, HCI - negative. Spores 7.5-9 x 4.5-5.5 um, ovoid. - Basidia 30-70 x 7-9 um, 4-spored. - Cystidia absent. - Pileipellis a trichoderm of cylindrical hyphae (6-15 um diam.), terminal cells often conical or subfusoid, membrane not gelatinised, with orangered (water) or yellow (KOH) plasmatic pigment clamp connections present (Pl. 1, Fig.l).

DISTRIBUTION: NZ (N, WL); AUS (NSW, Q, SA, VIC). -Widespread in northern hemisphere (Europe, Japan, USA).

ECOLOGY: Common; saprobic on soil among moss-lichen or Sphagnum, rarely on decaying trunk of fems or among litter in Nothofagus (N. fusca, N. menziesii), Leptospermum scoparium or in broadleaved-conifer forests (Weinmannia, Quintinia. Dacrydium). December-March.

ICON.: Horak (1973: 150). - Konrad & Maublanc (1924-1937: tab. 384,1).

TYPE: Europe (Sweden).

Pileus 1.5-2-5 cm. across, flesh thin, convex, obtuse, then umbilicate, at first even, glabrous, and crimson, then becoming pale, opaque, and squamulose ; gills adnate, not at all decurrent, distant, distinct, rather thick and firm, yellow, or sometimes more or less tinged with crimson; stem 3-5 cm. long, about 2 mm. thick, even, glabrous, shining, crimson, equal, round, imperfectly stuffed; spores elliptical, 10 x 6 µ.

Maungaroa, New Zealand. Europe, Australia, Ceylon.

Among grass, in pastures, roads, &c.

Pileus becoming umbilicate, bleached, and squamulose when old.

This was also recorded by Massee, i.e. supra, but the writer has not collected it. Both these species are described and illustrated by Lange and others.