ARALIACEAE. Neopanax colensoi: Westland, Douglas Rock, Copland Valley, 1,200 m. CONIFERAE. Phyllocladus trichomanoides: Wellington, Oturere River, Mt. Tongariro, 1,350 m. Podocarpus ferrugineus: Auckland, Mµm Karioi, 700 m. CUNONIACEAE. Weinmannia silvicola: Auckland, Helena Bay. ELAEOCARPACEAE. Elaeocarpus dentatus: Auckland, Taupiri Mt., 300 m. FAGACEAE. Nothofagus fusca: Wellington, Days Bay, 120 m. Nothofagus truncata: Auckland, Orere Point. LAURACEAE. Beilschmiedia tawa: Auckland, Waiomu Valley, Thames, 35 m; Claudelands Reserve, Hamilton, 35 m; Waitomo, 80 m; Lake Rotoehu, 400-450 m. Wellington, Lake Papaitonga, 20 m. MELIACEAE. Dysoxylum spectabile: Auckland, Little Barrier Island. MONIMIACEAE. Hedycarya arborea: Auckland, Kauri Park, Northcote; Waiatarua, Waitakere Ranges, 300 m; Waiomu Valley, Thames, 35 m. MYRSINACEAE. Myrsine australis: Auckland, Upper Piha Valley, 250 m; Rangitoto Island; Clevedon, 10 m; Kauaeranga Valley, Thames, 120 m; Waiomu Valley, Thames, 35 m. MYRTACEAE. Lophomyrtus bullata: Auckland, Lake Rotoehu, 400-150 m. Wellington, Ruahine Ranges, 500 m. PAPILIONACEAE. Sophora microphylla: Auckland, Purewa Bush, 35 m. PITTOSPORACEAE. Pittosporum tenuifolium: Auckland, Campbells Bay, 80 m; Lake Rotoehu, 400 m. Pittosporum umbellatum: Auckland, Little Barrier Island. PROTEACEAE. Knightia excelsa: Auckland, Puketi, Bay of Islands; Whangarei Heads; Rangitoto Island; Piha, 15 m; Mountain Road, Henderson Valley, 250 m; Purewa Bush, 35 m. RUBIACEAE. Coprosma arborea: Auckland, Little Barrier Island. SAPINDACEAE. Alectryon excelsus: Wellington, Lake Papaitonga, 20 m. UNKNOWN HOSTS. Auckland, Swanson, 120 m. New South Wales, Sydney; Robertson.

Hymenophore pileate or resupinate, sometimes reviving a second season, membranous-coriaceous, loosely attached. Pilei either conchate when attached by an umbo, dimidiate, or more frequently effused-reflexed with pilei arising from margins of broadly resupinate bases, 1-25 x 1-5 cm, when resupinate linear or disciform with free margins, of indefinite length; pileus surface some shade of brown, lighter peripherally with fulvous margins, radiately sulcate, finely tomentose, sometimes when old naked and dingy fuscous; hymenial surface commonly tobacco-brown, with bright fulvous margins, velutinate, oµmen with a chestnut tinge, resupinate portions often deeply creviced in radiate series about 10 mm diameter, sometimes creviced irregularly, or even; margin thinning out, lighter in colour, crenate, free. Context ferruginous, 0.3-0.6 mm thick, of parallel hyphae radiately arranged, bordered on the abhymenial surface by a darker, compact and cemented cortex, and beneath the hymenium by a darker chestnut zone associated with the setal layer; skeletal hyphae 4-5 µm diameter, walls 0.5-1 µm thick, golden brown; generative hyphae 2-2.5 µm diameter, walls 0.2 µm thick, hyaline. Setal layer 160-300 µm deep, composed of 3-5 overlapping rows of setae some of which project to 90 µm; setae aculeate, 80-130 x 14-22 µm, walls finely verruculose, chestnut, lumena narrow. Hymenial layer to 40 µm deep, a close palisade of basidia and paraphyses. Basidia subclavate, 12-20 x 4-5 µm, bearing 4 spores; sterigmata erect, slender, to 4 µm long. Paraphyses subclavate, 10-14 x 3.5-4 µm. Spores allantoid, 6-8 x 1.5-2 µm, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.2 µm thick.

DISTRIBUTION: Great Britain, Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand.

HABITAT: Bark of dead branches associated with a white rot.

One of the most abundant species present in New Zealand, but rare in Australia, H. tabacina may be identified by the following features. Plants are either effused-reflexed, sessile with free margins of lighter colour, or as frequently resupinate. A deeply coloured cortex borders the abhymenial surface and a second colour zone lies beneath the hymenium, sometimes extending into the setal layer. From the cortex abhymenial hairs arise both in pileate and resupinate specimens, consequently plants are loosely attached to the substratum. The setal layer is more deeply coloured than the context, and the number of rows of setae increases with age, or position, being more numerous towards the centre and thinning out towards margins, where but one or two rows may be developed. Setae are stout, rich reddish-brown, with verruculose apices. Spores are allantoid, abundant and borne upon short sterigmata.
Colour and thickness of fructifications appear to be influenced by latitude and altitude. Plants from this region, save from the mountains, are more coriaceous and of deeper colour than typical specimens from the northern latitudes of Europe and North America. Commonly tobacco-brown, New Zealand plants often exhibit a reddish-brown colour when viewed at an angle under a lens, because of projecting setae. Many may develop a second growth form upon an earlier fructification. They agree with European specimens in microfeatures, although even these may vary appreciably. In some resupinate specimens the hymenial surface is creviced in orbicular series, each about one centimetre in diameter, crevices radiating from the centre. The condition is more common in European and North American collections than in those from this region. It is not confined to this species, but occurs also in some specimens of H. floridea and all plants of H. obesa.

TYPE LOCALITY: England.