Host: Acaena nnicrophylla Hook. f. On leaves and petioles. Herb. No. 307. I, III. Botanical Gardens, Gore (Southland), E. B. Levy! 1 Feb., 1921. (Type.)

0. Spermogones amphigenous, sparse, scattered, conical, pallid yellow.
I. Caeomata hypophyllous, scattered, orbicular when 0-5-1 mm. diam., or elliptical and up to 3 mm. long, pulvinate, pulverulent, orange; encircled by a dense layer of hyaline, incurved, clavate, persistent paraphyses, overtopping the spores. Spores globose, obovate, or less commonly elliptical, 18-28 X 16-20 mmm.; epispore hyaline, closely and finely verruculose, 1-1-5 mmm. thick, cell-contents orange, vacuolate.
III. Teleutosori hypophyllous and petiolicolous, sparse, scattered, orbicular, 0.1-0.5 mm. diam., at first compact and pulvinate, becoming pulverulent, shining-black, naked, with few spores in each sorus. Spores 4-7-celled, commonly 6, long -cylindrical, 50-95 X 20-25 mmm.; apex bluntly acuminate or rounded, slightly or not thickened, often crowned with a prominent hyaline papilla, up to 10 mmm. long, not continuous with the upper cell-wall, base rounded, spore slightly or not narrowed above and below; not or slightly constricted at the septa; wall light chestnut-brown, 3-4 mm. thick, sparsely covered with a few coarse hyaline warts which are more numerous apically or may be almost absent; pedicel persistent, continuous with the spore, tinted above, hyaline below, hollow, up to 50 mmm. long, commonly much less, 5-9 mmm. thick, swollen at the base to 20 mmm., lower third closely verruculose, germ-pores 2-3 in each cell, conspicuous.

0. Spermagoniis amphigenis, sparsis, raris, conicis, subflavis. I. Caeomatiis hypophyllis, raris, rotundis, 0.5-1 mm. latis, vel ellipticis et 3 mm. longis, pulvinatis, pulverulentibus, flavis; hyalino, clavatis paraphysis cinctis. Caeomatosporis globosis, obovatis, vel ellipticis, 18-28 X 16-29 mmm.; episporio hyalino, minute tenuiter echinulato, 1-1.5 mmm. crasso, contentu flavo, vacuolato. III. Soris teleutosporiferis hypophyllis, caulicolis, sparsis, raris, rotundis, 0.1-0.5 mm. latis, primum compactis et pulvinatis, demum pulverulentibus, splendidis-nigris, nudis, soris cum paucis sporis. Teleutosporis 4-7-cellulo, communiter 6, longis - cylindricis, 50-95 X 20-25 mmm.; apice rustice acuminato, vel rotundato, leniter ad non incrassato, saepe papillato hyalino; ad 10 mmm. longis, basi rotundato, apice et basi saepe necne attenuatts; ad septa leniter necne constrictis; episporio castaneo, 3-4 mmm. crasso, raro hyalino verrucoso; pedicello persistente, hyalino apice tincto, fistuloso, ad 50 mmm. longo, 5-9 mmm. crasso, ad basim 20 mmm. inflato, verruculoso, foramine germinis ad cellulo 2-3, conspicuo.

The host is endemic, and is not uncommon throughout the mountain districts. (Cheeseman, 1906, p. 132.)
This species closely resembles Phr. subsimile, but differs in the long-cylindrical shape of the teleutospores, their verrucose apex, much shorter pedicels, and in the cells not being discoid.

Hab.: In foliis vivis et petiolibus Acaenae microphyllae Hook. f. Horto Botanico, Gore, Southland, New Zealand. E. B. Levy.

The rust is indigenous to New Zealand and is common about Wellington and in the South Island. Two species of Acaena are indigenous, whilst A. ovina is an Australian species naturalised in New Zealand.