PALMAE. Rhopalostylis sapida: Auckland, Cascades, Waitakere Ranges, 300 m, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 13816.

Hymenophore annual, membranous, adherent, effused forming irregular areas to 7 x 4 cm; hymenial surface white or ivory, not creviced, even; margin thinning out, arachnoid, white, adherent. Context white, 60-100 µ thick, basal layer scanty, of parallel hyphae, intermediate layer of loosely arranged ascending hyphae branched at a wide angle, corymbose in the subgymenium, generative hyphae 3-4 µ diameter, walls 0.2 µ thick, hyaline, naked, with clamp connections. Metuloids arising from hyphae of the intermediate and basal layers, projecting to 60 µ, aculeate with longacuminate apices, 64-105 x 5-7 µ, encrusted save at apices with scanty flattened crystals, walls becoming thinner towards apices. Hymenial layer to 25 µ deep, a scanty and irregular palisade of basidia, paraphyses, and metuloids. Basidia subclavate, 16-20 x 4-5 µ, bearing 4 spores; sterigmata slender, arcuate, 6-8 µ long. Paraphyses scanty, subclavate or cylindrical, 8-14 x 3-4 µ. Spores elliptical or suballantoid, 7-9 x 4-5 µ, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.1 µ thick.

TYPE LOCALITY: Waitakere Ranges, Auckland, New Zealand.
DISTRIBUTION: New Zealand.

HABITAT: Effused on dead leaf midribs.

P. nikau and P. longispora show a close resemblance in structure of the context and especially in shape of metuloids. The latter are aculeate, taper from bases to apices, project for about half their length, are relatively thin-walled, and bear small tuberculate, scattered crystals often resembling plates or scales. P. nikau is separated by its spores of different shape and size, and more delicate metuloids. In a former paper it was described under the name of P. sororia; as this is occupied (Bourdot & Galzin, 1912, p. 386) the species has been renamed after the Maori name of the host.