Hymenophore annual, loosely attached, lifting, arachnoid-mucedinoid, forming linear areas to 24 x 3 cm.; surface cream, drying pallid ochre, even; margin thinning out, cream, arachnoid. Context composed of a few large repent hyphae to 16 µ diameter, wall 0.5-1 µ thick, delicately and finely verruculose-scabrid, sparsely branched, septate, without clamp connections, fertile hyphae vertical, bearing one to three whorls of branchlets carrying basidia and paraphyses. Basidia cylindrical or subclavate, 16-22 x 6-9 µ, bearing 4-6 spores on short sterigmata 3-4 µ long. Spores fusiform or navicular, ends usually bluntly acuminate, apiculate, 8-11 x 3.5-4.5 µ, smooth, hyaline.

DISTRIBUTION. New Zealand.

HABITAT. Effused on bark or decorticated decaying wood.

Hymenophorum mucidum, aequum, effusum, superficie cremea, siccitate pallide ochracea. Hyphae enodulosae, ad 16 µ diam.; pariete 0.5-1 µ crasso, exteriore scabro. Basidia cylindricalia vel subclavata, 16-22 x 6-9 µ, 4-6 sporas in sterigmatis 3-4 µ longis gerentia. Cystidia absentia. Sporae fusiformes vel naviculiformes, apiculatae, 8-11 x 3.5-4.5 µ, leves, hyalinae.

Of the species without clamp connections this may be identified readily by the large diameter repent hyphae, walls of which and of the fertile branches are covered with closely arranged verrucae, appearing scabrid. Basidia are carried on short branchlets arranged in whorls on main vertical branches. Basidia usually bear six spores, though a few carry four.

Edwardsia microphylla (Ait.) Salisb. Auckland. Henderson, March, 1952, S. Baker. Nothopanax arboreum (Forst. f.) Seem. Taranaki. Mt. Egmont, 4,500ft., February, 1952, G.H.C., type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 11296.

Subicular hyphae hyaline to yellowish, thin- to thick walled (up to 2.5 µm), finely asperulate, 10-18 µm wide. Subhymenial hyphae hyaline, thin-walled, 6-12 µm wide, cyanophilous. Basidia collapsed. Spores hyaline, smooth, ovoid from above, navicular in side view, 5.5-7.5 x 2.8-3.5 x 3-4 µm, somewhat thick-walled with prominent apiculus.

The species is indistinguishable from Botryobasidum pruinatum. The spore size is much smaller than Cunningham's (1953) measurements (8-11 x 3.5-4.5 µm). The basal hyphae are somewhat less thick-walled, paler and more finely asperulate than typical European'specimens, but these differences are herein considered to be within the natural variation of the species.

Holotype: on Pseudopanax arboreus (Murr.) Philipson, New Zealand, Taranaki, Mt Taranaki coll. GH. Cunningham, Feb 1952 (PDD 11296).