Under (1) Betula pendula, Canterbury: Ashley Gorge, 25.iii.l966, R.F.R. McN.; Winchester, 31.iii.l966, R.F.R. McN.; Christchurch: Hagley Park, 3.iv.l968, R.F.R. McN.; 21.iv.l968, R.J. McN.; Lincoln, I.V.1968, l.iv.l970, R.F.R. McN.; Hanmer State Forest, 12.V.1970, R.F.R. & A.Y. McN.; (2) introduced broadleaved trees, Christchurch Botanical Gardens, 17.ii.1968, IO.iii.1968, R.F.R. McN.

pileus: 7-23 cm diam. convex when young, centrally depressed at maturity, viscid under wet conditions, otherwise dry, azonate, finely felted or subtomentose when young, ± glabrous or occasionally with fine adpressed squamules at maturity, drab olive brown or dark brownish black with olive brown tints, paling towards margins; margins ochraceous, strongly involute, and coarsely tomentose when young, slightly involute and felted or subtomentose at maturity. Cuticle gelatinised, composed of ± repent, interwoven, hyaline, thin-walled or moderately thin-walled, septate hyphae 2-6.5 µm diam. lamellae: adnate to subdecurrent, crowded, moderately thin, simple, to 6 mm deep, pallid cream with ochraceous tints when young, cream with dull brownish edges at maturity, discoloured with dull brown spots and stains; lamellulae present in 3-4 unequal series; latex copious, viscid, creamy white, unchanging on exposure to air, drying dull creamy white. stipe: 3-7 cm long ± equal, stout, 2-3.5 cm diam., solid, subglabrous, sometimes finely felted-velutinate apically, ± concolorous with pileus or slightly paler, often with greenish tints apically; flesh white, browning slightly on prolonged exposure to air. Cuticle similar to that of pileus. spores: spore print ochraceous buff; spores broadly elliptical, obliquely apiculate, apiculus to 1.5 µm long, 6.5-8.5-(9.5) X 5-7 µm, ornamentation of moderately coarse amyloid ridges to 0.7 µm high forming an almost complete reticulum; plage indistinct. hymenium: basidia hyaline, subclavate to clavate, 35-51 X 6.5-10.5 µm, 4-spored, sterigmata to 7 µm long: pleurocystidia numerous, scattered, fusiform to lanceolate, hyaline, thin-walled, contents finely granular and refractive in KOH, projecting to 30 µm beyond basidia, 52-87 X 6.5-10 µm; cheilocystidia numerous, fusiform, hyaline, thin-walled, 34-54 X 4-8 µm; pseudo-cystidia sparse, scattered, originating from lactiferous hyphae, irregularly cylindrical, not or only slightly projecting beyond basidia, to 6.5 µm diam. hymenophoral trama: homiomerous, composed of interwoven lactiferous hyphae and short-celled connective hyphae; subhymenium of closely interwoven, short-celled hyphae appearing cellular in section. context of pileus: white, slightly browning on prolonged exposure to air, thick, firm, rather coarsely granular. smell: not distinctive. taste: lamellae extremely acrid, context slightly acrid. chemical characters: formalin - slowly faint salmon pink: phenol - slowly purplish-red; FeSO4 - faint salmon pink; guaiacol - slowly faint salmon pink darkening with time; KOH on pileus - rapidly deep purplish; on context - faintly purple; NH4OH on pileus - rapidly deep purple with lighter purple flush: on context - faint purple

Wakefield and Dennis, Common British Fungi pi. 38, fig. 1.1950.