Podocarpus hallii Kirk. Taranaki: Dawson Falls, Mt. Egmont, 3,500ft, November 1953, J.M.Dingley, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 12463. Podocarpus totara Don. Auckland: Waipoua Kauri Forest, January 1955, J.M. Dingley.

Hymenophore resupinate, annual, waxy, brittle, adnate, at first appearing as numerous scattered colonies 2-10 mm diameter, merging to form linear areas to 12 x 3 cm. Hymenial surface at first cinnamon, becoming ferruginous or umber, deeply creviced with edges lifting to expose the substratum, colliculose, velutinate; margin thinning out, fulvous, later concolorous, fibrillose, loosely attached, finally lifting and curling upwards or inwards. Context ferruginous, 70-160 µ deep, composed of an intermediate tissue of parallel densely compacted cemented hyphae turning abruptly into the hymenial layer; hyphal system monomitic; generative hyphae 2.5-3 µ diameter, walls 0.25-0.5 µ thick, reddish-brown, sparsely branched, septate. Setal layer to 90 µ deep, of 2-3 vague rows (often confined to one) of overlapping setae arising in the subhymenium; setae projecting to 35 µ, subulate, often angled near the base, 35-65 x 5-7 µ, walls naked, reddish-brown, lumina narrow or broad. Hymenial layer to 25 µ deep, a close palisade of basidia and paraphyses, tinted below. Basidia subclavate, 12-14 x 4-4.5 µ, 4-spored; sterigmata upright, slender, to 4 µ long. Paraphyses subclavate or cylindrical, shorter and slightly narrower than the basidia. Spores suballantoid, 3-3.5 x 2-2.5 µ, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.1 µ thick.

DISTRIBUTION: New Zealand.

HABITAT: Effused on bark of dead branches associated with a white rot.

Resupinata, annua, ceracea, fragilis, adnata. Superficies hymenii cinnamomea deinde ferruginea vel umbrina, colliculosa, rimosa; margine primo fulvo, deinde concolori, fibrilloso, laxe adjuncto et apto ad vertendum. Contextus ferrugineus, hypharum parallelarum compactarum; cortex abest. Hypharum systema monomiticum. Setarum stratum 1-3 ordinibus, subulatis, nudis, 35-65 x 5-7 µ, partim superimpositis, ad 35 µ eminentibus. Basidia subclavata; 12-14 x 4-4.5 µ, 4 sporis suballantoidibus, 3-3.5 x 2-2.5 µ.

Separated from other species of the section by the densely compacted, cemented, narrow parallel hyphae forming the intermediate layer, small spores and setae, and surface features. Young plants are scattered, orbicular with fulvous, fibrillose, loosely attached margins. When dry plants become brittle, margins lift and become incurved or erect, and edges of crevices curl upwards to expose the substratum. Spores are small and vary somewhat in shape; most are suballantoid, some narrowly elliptical or obovate. The taxad hosts may provide an aid to identification if later collections show the species to be confined to these.

Podocarpus hallii Kirk. Taranaki: Dawson Falls, Mt. Egmont, 3,500ft, November 1953, J.M.Dingley, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 12463.