NEW ZEALAND: South Island: Westcoast, Taylorville, Mt. Sewell, under Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides, 1. IV. 1968, leg. HORAK (ZT 68/244).

The elliptic spores distinctly separate P. nothofagi from the two other native New Zealand species of Paxillus. Size and shape of the spores remind of those in P. involutus (Fr.) which, however, is readily distinguished by the presence of large cystidia.

COLLECTIONS EXAMINED: Under (1) N. fusca and N. menziesii, Nelson: Maruia, 23.iii.l966, J. A. McRobb; (2) N. solandri, Wellington: Tongariro National Park, Oturere Stream, 8.iv.l965, R. F. R. McN.; Horopito, I.V.1967 R. F. R. McN. (HOLOTYPE, PDD25904).

PILEUS: convex when young, infundibuliform or irregularly infundibuliform at maturity, 6-18 cm diam., dry, velutinate, finely felted, or subtomentose, often circumferentially creviced and exposing the bright yellow context at maturity, bronze, oak brown, cinnamon brown, or cocoa brown; cuticle a trichodermium when young, composed of erect, filamentous hyphae with conspicuous clamp connections and brown contents, terminal cells cylindrical to subclavate, thin-walled or slightly thick-walled, often externally roughened, 7-15 µm. diam., becoming disorganised at maturity; margins strongly involute when young, irregularly involute and often undulate and irregularly lobed at maturity. LAMELLAE: crowded, deeply decurrent, repeatedly dichotomously branched 4-(6) times, occasionally anastomosing, thick, 4-8 mm deep, maize yellow to amber yellow, often spotted and stained dark reddish brown at maturity, lamellulae absent. STIPE: 2-7 cm long, subequal or tapering basally, 1-2.5 cm diam. apically, 1-2 cm diam. basally, central or occasionally eccentric, solid, dry, finely velutinate, felted, or subtomentose by presence of filamentous, clamped hyphae with dark brown contents, concolorous with pileus; flesh brownish white to yellowish white, unchanging on exposure to air; veil absent. SPORES: spore print orange-brown (between Sudan Brown and Antique Brown); spores golden-melleous to bright rusty brown, elliptical, broadly elliptical, or ovate and flattened on one side, minutely apiculate, germ pore absent, 7.8-11 X 4.5-5.8-(6.8) µm., moderately thick-walled, smooth. HYMENIUM: basidia hyaline, subclavate, 38-58 X 6.5-9.5 µm., (2)-4-spored: cystidia absent but numerous sterile, paraphysis-like structures present. HYMENOPHORAL TRAMA: bilateral, mediostratum of loosely interwoven hyphae and occasionally oleiferous hyphae, lateral stratum of more closely interwoven hyphae; clamp connections present. CONTEXT OF PILEUS: yellowish white, un-changing on exposure to air. SMELL: not distinctive. TASTE: bitter. CHEMICAL CHARACTERS: KOH on pileus—dark reddish brown; on context—salmon; NH4OH on pileus—dark reddish brown with red flush; on context—pallid salmon.

HABITAT: Gregarious or caespitose under Nothofagus.

Typus: Wellington Province, Horopito, 1.v.l967, R. F. R. McN., PDD 25904.