Hymenophore resupinate, perennial, stratose, woody and indurated, adnate, effused forming irregular linear areas to 10 x 4 cm. Hymenial surface even, finely floccose, umber, black and shining where rubbed, each layer tending to recede slightly, not creviced; margin dark umber, almost black, cliff-like, to 10 mm thick, often striated with parallel bands representing lateral margins of the strata, coarsely lobed. Context umber, to 10 mm thick, showing irregular parallel growth zones, brittle, hard and indurated like the stroma of a Hypoxylon, composed of many parallel layers of overlapping setae (sometimes with bands of context hyphae between) and mainly upright hyphae compacted and cemented, towards the base context hyphae cemented into a fuscous amorphous tissue; hyphal system monomitic; generative hyphae 4-5 µ diameter, walls 0.5-l µ thick, golden brown, freely branched and septate. Setal layers overlapping and poorly defined, to 80 µ deep, some demarked by persistent palisades of paraphyses or context hyphae; setae projecting to 30 µ, narrowly fusiform, 32-55 x 6-8 µ, larger in the context, walls naked, bright reddish-brown, lumina narrow. Hymenial layer a scanty palisade of basidia, paraphyses and scattered paraphysate hyphae. Basidia subclavate, 12-16 x 4-4.5 µ, 4-spored; sterigmata slightly arcuate, slender, 4-5 µ long. Paraphyses cylindrical or subclavate, tinted, about the same diameter but narrower than the basidia. Paraphysate hyphae slightly projecting, coloured, filiform, sometimes branched near apices. Spores elliptical with rounded ends, apiculate, 4-4.5 x 2.5-3 µ, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.1 µ thick.

DISTRIBUTION: New Zealand.

HABITAT: Adnate on decorticated decaying trunks; type of rot not seen.

Resupinata, perennis, stratosa, lignosa atque indurata, adnata. Superficies hymenii umbrina, nigra et ubi abrasa lucida, non rimosa; margine ad 1 cm crasso, nigro, lobato. Contextus umbrinus, ad 1 cm crassus, plurium stratorum setarum in medio hyphis erectis, basim hyphis intertextis, conglutinatis, pseudoparenchymatis; cortex abest. Hypharum systema monomiticum. Setarum strata partim superimposita, aliquot stratis hypharum contextus intertextarum definita. Setae anguste fusiformes, ad 30 µ eminentes, nudae, 32-55 x 6-8 µ. Basidia subclavata, 12-16 x 4-4.5 µ, 4 sporis ellipticis, 4-4.5 x 2.5-3 µ.

Specimens resemble in colour and external appearance stromata of certain species of Hypoxylon. Plants may attain a thickness of 10 mm, are woody and brittle, and break with a clean fracture, exposing parallel growth lines. Sections show them to be composed of overlapping rows of setae embedded in upright cemented hyphae, with a thick base of hyphae cemented into an amorphous tissue. The abhymenial surface is glabrous, polished where free from wood debris, and without abhymenial hairs. Strata are evident in some sections, being demarked by persistent layers of paraphyses or intertwined context hyphae; in others they may not be visible or be indicated only by darker parallel colour zones. Setae are closely arranged, usually possess narrow lumina and those projecting may become enmeshed within hyphal sheaths. Only a few spores were found attached to basidia. These were elliptical with rounded ends. A few suballantoid spores were seen floating in the mountant, but none of this shape was found attached, so they may have been contaminants.

Nothofagus fusca (Hook.f.) Oerst. Nelson: Staircase Creek, Reefton, 2,000ft, December 1952, S.D.Baker, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 16637.

PALMAE. Rhopalostylis sapida: Auckland, Whitianga Road, Coromandel Peninsula, 250 m. UNKNOWN HOST. New South Wales, Sydney.

Hymenophore resupinate, perennial, membranous, brittle, adherent, at first appearing as numerous orbicular colonies 2-15 mm across, soon merging to form linear areas to 12 x 3 cm; hymenial surface cinnamon, deeply irregularly areolately creviced, tending to lift at edges of crevices; margin thinning out, fulvous, fibrillose, adherent. Context ferruginous, 400-650 µm thick, of many irregular rows of overlapping setae embedded among erect, closely compacted hyphae, sometimes with a narrow zone of intertwined hyphae of deeper colour in the base of the abhymenial region; generative hyphae 3-4 µm diameter, walls 0.5 µm thick, yellow brown. Setae scattered in irregular rows through the context, subulate, some projecting to 35 µm, 40-60 x 5-7 µm, walls naked, reddish-brown, lumena narrow. Hymenial layer to 30 µm deep, a close palisade of basidia, paraphyses, and paraphysate hyphae. Basidia subclavate, 12-16 x 4-5 µm, bearing 4 spores; sterigmata slightly arcuate, slender, to 5 µm long. Paraphyses subclavate or cylindrical, 6-10 x 3.5-4 µm. Paraphysate hyphae abundant or scanty, projecting to 25 µm, filiform, hyaline. Spores elliptical, 4.5-5.5 x 3-3.5 µm, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.1 µm thick.

DISTRIBUTION: West Indies, South America, Australia, New Zealand.

HABITAT: Bark or decorticated wood of dead branches or leaf bases associated with a pocket rot.

In microfeatures specimens agree with the type collection in Kew herbarium, ex "Cuba, Wright, No. 541". They differ somewhat in size and colour of fructifications. The context is composed of overlapping rows of setae embedded among compact erect hyphae, with the abhymenial layer of intertwined hyphae more deeply coloured and compacted. Colour of the hymenial surface resembles that of H. cinnamomea and H. rhabarbarina. From these H. unicolor differs in that setae are slightly shorter and arranged in overlapping rows and, although stratose, layers are indicated by dark parallel lines and not by zones of context hyphae. Spores also differ in shape.

TYPE LOCALITY: Cuba.