Pleurotus salignus (Persoon) (8,16) Fig. 24 = Pleurotus sp.

The cylindrical spores of this collection (COLENSO b 876) are distinctly smaller (7-9 X 3-3.5 µ) than those of typical P. salignus. At the same time all characters of this species differ from those of other Pleurotus species hitherto found in New Zealand.

Stevenson (1964) described this species as follows' Pileus 7-12 cm diam., creamy fawn, orbicular with margin down-rolled at first and later splitting, smooth, dull, pellicle peeling; flesh creamy white. Gills decurrent to deeply decurrent, creamy, moderately crowded, thin, deep, margins becoming lacerate. Stipe 8 X 8 mm., to 1X 1.5 cm., lateral. Spores 9-11 X 4—4.5 µm., non-amyloid, thin-walled. Hymenophoral trama subregular with some thick-walled hyphae. Cuticle of mainly parallel or loosely woven hyphae with clamp-connections.'

additional text on holotype missing

Description of additional NZ collection

Basidiomes solitary or sometimes somewhat imbricate; pileus 30-150 X 40-150 mm, spathulate to flabelliform, sometimes excentrically stipitate, ochraceous (6C5-6B4, K & W), pale yellow brown, darker when wet or grey yellow (4C3, K & W), darker towards margin, paler towards stipe, drying ochraceous, dry, smooth, matt to finely fibrillose, sometimes faintly pellucid striate at margin; margin plane, cracking radially. Lamellae decurrent, white to grey becoming yellow, broad, relatively thin, crowded, in three series. In most dried material, lamellae becoming encrusted at edges. Stipe short and fat or almost indistinguishable, lateral to excentric, 20 X 20 mm, concolorous with pileus, some lamellae running almost to base, not anastomosing, sometimes slightly tomentose at base. Flesh cream, thin. Taste pleasant, smell slightly mealy or woody. Spore print white, becoming cream.

Spores 7-12 X 3.5-5 (9.2 X 4.1) µm, Q = 2.3, oblong to cylindrical, hyaline, smooth, inamyloid and not dextrinoid. Basidia 22-30 X 5-6 µm, clavate, with four sterigmata, not surviving well in dried material. Cheilocystidia 12-17 X 4-6 µm, basically oblong-clavate with a mucronate tip, occasionally bifurcating at tip, hyaline, thin-walled, forming a distinct layer at lamellar margin but not extending back over lamellar face. Pleurocystidia seen in only one collection (PDD 59218), 40 x 4 µm, cylindrical, with a septum near base. Trama of roughly parallel hyphae following a wavy pattern, thin-walled, 3-6 µm in diameter, with conspicuous, almost medallion clamp connections; occasional oleiferous hyphae present, but not invariably. Subhymenium well developed, 35 µm wide, sub-cellular, with spaces between. Context a very loosely interwoven network of hyphae 4-6 µm in diameter, with very conspicuous clamp connections and some thickening of walls (sclerified generative hyphae of Hilber 1982), some with thick-walled tapering ends. A well developed system of oleiferous hyphae, very irregular in shape, 2-9 µm in diameter, very contorted, and with yellowish oily contents, particularly abundant just below pileipellis in one collection (PDD 59217). Pileipellis a layer of thin-walled, faintly yellow repent hyphae. Some emergent hyphae, both thin- and thickish-walled (but not encrusted), sometimes seen on surface.