FAGACEAE. Nothofagus cliffortioides: Nelson, Staircase Creek, Reefton, 700 m. Nothofagus fusca: Wellington, Wiltons Bush, 100 m; Days Bay, 120 m; Nelson, Staircase Creek, Reefton, 700 m; Orwell Creek, Ahaura, Totara Flat. MYRTACEAE. Eucalyptus sideroxylon: Victoria, Tinamba. Eucalyptus spp.: New South Wales, Sydney; Milson Island, Berry Hill Top, Lisarow, Mosman, Mt. Wilson. South Australia, National Park; Kangaroo Island. Victoria, Sherbrooke Forest. Western Australia, Pemberton. PROTEACEAE. Banksia spp.: New South Wales, Perlean; National Park.

Hymenophore annual, coriaceous-ceraceous, pileate, sessile. Pilei commonly effused-reflexed with broad resupinate bases, applanate, dimidiate, frequently laterally connate and often imbricated, sometimes resupinate, 5-30 mm radius, 5-25 mm broad, or when connate expanded laterally to 15 cm; pileus surface coarsely tomentose, tomentum at first chestnut, soon concentrically sulcate and zoned with bands of different colours, in old specimens bases grey with margins chestnut, finally becoming grey or dingy brown; margin thinning out, entire, inturned, concolorous; hymenial surface at first chestnut and even, with zones corresponding with those of the surface, becoming black and polished, remaining so or ultimately becoming tuberculate. Context glistening, chestnut or fuscous, 0.2-0.5 mm thick, composed of mainly radiately arranged parallel hyphae sometimes embedded in mucilage; cortex densely compacted, chestnut, abhymenial hairs chestnut, walls 1 µm thick; generative hyphae 3.5-4 µm diameter, walls 0.2-0.5 µm thick, with conspicuous clamp connections. Paraphysate hyphae arising, from the subhymenium and projecting to 20 µm, branched, hyaline, freely septate, collapsing. Hymemal layer to 80 µm deep, a dense palisade of basidia and paraphyses. Basidia subclavate, 30-50 x 5-6 µm, bearing 4 spores; sterigmata arcuate, slender, to 6 µm long. Paraphyses cylindrical, 20-30 x 3-4 µm. Spores elliptical, 6-8 x 3.5-4 µm, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.2 µm thick.

DISTRIBUTION: North and South America, South Africa, India, Malaya, Fiji, Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand.

HABITAT: Bark of dead trunks and branches.

Specific features are the densely tomentose, concentrically zoned, chestnut pilei, polished black hymenium, chestnut context, monomitic hyphal system with clamp connections in the generative hyphae, and branched paraphysate hyphae of the hymenial layer. At first the hymenium is even and, if plants are collected when young, it remains smooth although changing in colour from chestnut to black. As plants become fertile the hymenium may become finely tuberculate, or remain even, both conditions being present in collections listed. Context tissues appear to be gelatinised because of the brown and glistening appearance of sections, but in reality are composed of somewhat loosely arranged mainly parallel hyphae sometimes embedded in gelatinous matter. A coloured cortex is present, as in S. hirsutum and related species. Bresadola (1916, p. 231) referred the species to Auricularia rugosissima (Lev.) Bres. They resemble one another in surface features but differ profoundly in microstructure. He later (1925, p. 480) referred it to Auricularia strigoso-zonata (Schw.) Bres. This treatment probably arose through Bresadola mistaking for basidia, paraphysate hyphae of the hymenial layer, which to the casual observer may resemble germinating basidia of Auricularia. Basidia are holobasidia, however, and bear four sterigmata carrying elliptical spores, as is shown in Fig. 120. This is not easy to ascertain unless adequate sections are prepared, for at an early stage paraphysate hyphae collapse and form an amorphous gelatinous layer upon the hymenial surface. Through this, developing basidia are forced, sometimes becoming distorted in transit, and produce spores above the gelatinous surface. Paraphysate hyphae may be seen readily in immature portions of developing plants, and sometimes fragments of branches persist on the surface of mature specimens. The species exhibits all the features of a Stereum, save that in occasional specimens the hymenial layer becomes tuberculate, or tuberculate-striate; consequently it is referred to this genus, and not to Phlebia, with which it has little resemblance. The species was made the type of Phaeophlebia by W. B. Cooke (1956, p. 401).

TYPE LOCALITY: North Carolina, U.S.A.

>Pileus 4-8 cm. latus, 2-3 cm. longus, sessilis, postice decurrens interdum omnino resupinatus, umbrinus, concentrice sulcatus et paucis zonis obscurioribus ornatus, adpresse spongioso-tomentosus. Trama tenuis, rigida, umbrina. Hymenima nigrum, pruina albida velatum, ut caesio-glaucum videtur. Cystidia nulla; basidia hyalina; sporae non visae. Hyphae subhymeniales brunneae, tenuiter tunicatae, flaccidae, septatae, saepe ad septa nodosae, 3-5 µ crassae.

A beautiful species, of striking appearance on account of the pruinose hymenium, which appears bluish-grey in colour and contrasts sharply with the umber-brown pileus. The bloom on the hymenium appears to be due to a deposit of a waxy nature, which dissolves on the addition of potassium hydrate solution. The appearance of the upper surface of the pileus resembles that of S. proliscans Berk. (= S. vespilloneum Berk.); but the hymenium differs in colour, having no tint of brown, and in the absence of cystidia. The dark-brown basal hyphae, with clamp connections, are also distinctive.

Hab. On decaying wood, Rotorua, New Zealand.