Cordyline australis (Forst. f.) Hook. f. Auckland: Purewa Bush, December, 1948, D.W. McKenzie; South-west King Island, January, 1950, G.T.S. Baylis, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 7405.

Hymenophore annual, membranous, fragile, loosely attached, effused, forming orbicular or irregular areas to 10 x 4 cm.; surface flesh-pink, or pinkish-buff, becoming tinged vinaceous, colliculose, creviced irregularly, mainly centrally when dry; margin thinning out, white, to 3 mm. broad, fibrillose, loosely attached. Context pallid pink, 250-350 µ thick, composed of a stout basal layer of mainly parallel hyphae densely compacted and embedded in masses of crystals, hyphae in contact with the substratum thickened, partly sclerotioid and densely woven, intermediate layer of loosely arranged mainly upright hyphae embedded in scattered crystals; generative hyphae 3.5-4 µ diameter, 6-7 µ at the base, wall 0.25 µ thick, naked, hyaline, branched, septate, without clamp connections. Hymenial layer to 50 µ deep, of basidia and paraphyses forming a dense palisade. Basidia subclavate, projecting slightly, 16-26 x 4-5 µ, 4-spored; sterigmata slender, to 5 µ long. Paraphyses cylindrical or subclavate, narrower than the basidia. Spores obovate, or pip-shaped, 4.5-6 x 3-3.5 µ, apiculate, wall smooth, hyaline, 0.2 µ thick.

DISTRIBUTION. New Zealand.

HABITAT. Effused on bark of dead stems.

Hymenophorum membranaceum, fragile, laxe adjunctum, effusum; superficie carnea vel roseo-bubalina, colliculosa, inaequaliter rimosa centrali siccitate. Contextus pallide roseus, hyphis in conglomeratis crystallis sitis, afibulatis, 3.5-7 µ diam., nudis. Basidia 16-26 x 4-5 µ, 4 sporis. Sporae obovatae vel obovatae attenuato-apiculatae, 4.5-6 x 3-3.5 µ, laeves, hyalinae.

Specific features are the loosely attached hymenophore with broad fibrillose margin, flesh-pink becoming vinaceous colliculose surface, small obovate or pip-shaped spores and broad basal layer of the context. Where in contact with the substratum hyphae are densely woven, sclerotioid and walls are thickened to 1 µ. Crystals are embedded freely in the basal layer and scattered through the intermediate layer, but do not occur in masses as in C. seutellare, C. tuberculatum, and related species.

South-west King Island, January, 1950, G.T.S. Baylis, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 7405.

Basal layer strongly developed, consisting of hyaline, thin- to slightly thick-walled hyphae, 3-5.5(-7.5) µm wide, without clamps. Cystidia absent. Spores hyaline, thin-walled, smooth, ellipsoid to pip-shaped, 4.5-6.5 x 3.5-4.5 µm.

The species causes a white rot and belongs to Phanerochaete P. Karst. It is close to Ph. tuberculata (P. Karst.) Parm., but differs from this species in the pink to vinaceous colour and the slightly wider spores.