GRAMINEAE. Danthonia caespitosa: South Australia, Meningie. Lolium multiflorum: Hawke's Bay, Waipawa, 120 m. Lolium perenne: Auckland, Kaikohe, 120 m; Birkenhead, 40 m; Auckland Domain, 50 m; Te Awamutu, 100 m. Hawke's Bay, Napier, 30 m. Wellington, Owhango, Taumarunui, 400 m; Masterton, 120 m. Poa bulbosa: South Australia, Meningie.

Hymenophore annual, ceraceous, growing from surfaces of culms and leaves of grasses, as clavariform or fuciform single or branched sometimes antler-like processes, each long-aculeate or subulate, 5-25 mm long; hymenial surface flesh-pink or coral-pink, remaining so or drying pallid tan. Context of closely compacted parallel hyphae often breaking into oidia near apices, intermediate layer scanty or wanting; generative hyphae 6-7 µm diameter, walls 0.2 µm, thick, naked or encrusted with orange mucilage granules, without clamp connections. Hymenial layer developing both upon the exterior of host tissues and the subulate processes, a dense palisade of basidia and paraphyses. Basidia subclavate, 16-20 x 5-6 µm, bearing 4 spores; sterigmata stout, to 6 µm long. Paraphyses subclavate, a few slightly capitate, 16-18 x 5-6 µm. Spores elliptical, with rounded ends, a few irregularly suballantoid, apiculate, 8-11 x 4-5 µm, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.2 µm thick.

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

HABITAT: Parasitic upon culms and leaves of grasses.

Although represented in the herbarium of Plant Diseases Division by only a few collections, the species is common through the North Island of New Zealand on certain European grasses of pastures, lawns, golf courses, and bowling greens. It kills plants, forming discoloured orbicular areas from a few centimetres to upwards of one metre in diameter. First found in 1854 at Mt. Gambier, it has become widespread in Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand, and more recently established in Great Britain and the eastern coast of the United States. C. fuciforme may be recognised readily by the bright flesh-pink or coral, clavariform, semigelatinous bodies produced on killed culms and leaves. Bodies are sometimes sterile, or produce only a few oidia; they are as frequently fertile, bearing a palisade hymenium similar to that developing on killed culms and leaves.

TYPE LOCALITY: Mt. Gambier, South Australia.

Berkeley (1873) first described this fungus from collections found at Mt. Gambier, Australia, in 1854. In New Zealand, Cunningham (1922b) recorded red thread (Hypochnus fuciformis McAlp.) on leaves and stems of grasses. Brien (1935) stated that in New Zealand the fungus was first collected in 1920 on Lolium multiflorum from Hawke's Bay; he noted that it had become common on lawns and on bowling and golf greens in Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa, Manawatu, and Nelson district. Cunningham (1963) noted that it killed plants and in pastures formed discoloured orbicular areas a few centimeters to upwards of one metre in diameter. Arnold and Brien (1961) suggested for its control treatment with the fungicide thiram followed by prompt applications of a fertiliser such as sulphate of ammonia to promote quick growth of the grass.