PALMAE: Rhopalostylis sapida: Auckland, Centennial Track, Piha, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 18615.

Subiculum annual, white, arachnoid, of a few repent hyphae, forming irregular areas to 7 x 3 cm. Pilei closely aggregated but remaining distinct, at first globose, becoming cupulate, ceraceous, brittle, white, drying white, 0.1-0.25 mm diameter, seated upon narrow bases, pileus surface coarsely strigose with erect abhymenial hairs reaching a length of 130 µ, tapering from inflated bases (to 10 µ) to long-acuminate apices, walls hyaline, to 3 µ thick at bases, 0.5 µ near apices, finely and closely crystal encrusted, margin erect and fimbriate. Context delicate, white, to 20 µ thick, of closely compacted parallel hyphae, generative hyphae 2-2.5 µ diameter, walls 0.2 µ thick, hyaline. Hymenial layer to 35 µ deep, a close palisade of basidia and paraphyses. Basidia clavate, 22-30 x 10-12 µ, bearing 4 spores; sterigmata arcuate, to 5 µ long. Paraphyses clavate, 16-22 x 7-9 µ. Spores elliptical, slightly obovate with oblique apiculi, or a few subfusiform, 11-14 x 6-7.5 µ, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.1 µ thick.

TYPE LOCALITY: Piha, Auckland, New Zealand.
DISTRIBUTION: New Zealand.

HABITAT: crowded on bark of dead stipes.

Pilei ex subtile albo subiculo, globosi deinde cupulati; exteriore parte alba, crasse strigosa, pilis aculeatis, hyalinis; incrustatis. Basidia clavata, 22-30 x 10-12 µ. Sporae ellipticae vel obovatae, 11-14 x 6-7.5 µ. On dead stipes of Rhopalostylis sapida, Piha, Auckland, N.Z.

Abhymenial hairs are of unusual shape. Narrowly ventricose with inflated bases, they taper to the long-acuminate apices; walls are hyaline and thickened to 3 µ towards the base and closely encrusted. Basidia and spores are large, pilei delicate, and the subiculum is rudimentary.