RUBIACEAE. Coprosma foetidissima: Westland, Pukekura, 30 m, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 18633; The Forks, Okarito.

Pilei annual, scattered, rarely crowded, membranous, fragile, clavate becoming urniform, 0.25-0.75 mm diameter, 0.5-1.25 mm long, attached by narrow bases; exterior bay or tan, densely tomentose, abhymenial hairs tortuous, tapering to long-acuminate apices, to 3-5 µ diameter, aseptate, unbranched, walls hyaline, 0.5 µ thick, staining, some encrusted with deciduous crystals; margin inturned, fibrillose, lacerate; hymenia surface even, concave, tan. Context pallid tan, to 80 µ thick, of closely compacted radiately arranged parallel hyphae; generative hyphae to 4 µ diameter, walls 0.2 µ thick, tinted yellow, without clamp connections. Hymenial layer to 45 µ deep, a close palisade of basidia and paraphyses. Basidia clavate, 22-28 x 7-9 µ, bearing 2-4 spores; sterigmata erect, slender, to 5 µ long. Paraphyses subclavate, 16-24 x 6-7 µ. Spores pip-shaped, obliquely apiculate, 7-8 x 3.5-4 µ, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.1 µ thick, often adhering in fours.

TYPE LOCALITY: Pukekura; Westland, New Zealand.
DISTRIBUTION: New Zealand.

HABITAT: Scattered on bark of dead twigs.

Pilei solitarii, basi prominente adjuncti, clavati diende urniformes; exteriore parte badia, tomentosa, pilis tortuosis, ad apicem acuminatum fastigatis, hyalinis, incrustatis. Basidia clavata, 22-28 x 7-9 µ. Sporae obovatae, attenuato-afibulatae, 7-8 x 3.5-4 µ. On dead bark of Coprosma foetidissima, Pukekura, Westland, N.Z.

Characterised by the tortuous abhymenial hairs of the pileus surface, narrow pip-shaped spores, tan colour of the fragile, irregularly shaped pilei, pallid yellow walls of context hyphae, and absence of clamp connections. Abhymenial hairs are densely crowded and stain deeply with aniline blue; at first they are encrusted with fine crystals, which gradually disappear so that in mature plants most hairs are naked.