Fruit bodies up to 8 x 9 cm, branched, subspherical in profile. Stipe massive, up to 55 x50 mm, solid, white, or whitish where protected, appearing hygrophanous above; flesh drying friable. Major branches 2-3, up to 20 mm thick, short, terete, off-white. Secondary branches many, all arising at the same level, terete, bright golden orange ("deep chrome") below, somewhat lighter upward ("light orange-yellow", "pale orangeyellow"), short; axils rounded; internodes longest on secondary branches, diminishing abruptly. Apices double-dichotomous to cuspidate, often terraced locally, light yellow-orange ('light orange-yellow") often with a hint of pink ("orange-buff"). Apices and upper branches slowly turning deep red-brown ("mahogany-red") in age, especially where water-soaked; dirt specks on stipe weakly vinaceous; branches in age taking on a subtle blush of red-brown, as though rusted. Odour weakly fragrant; taste indistinctive.
Macrochemical reactions: FCL, FSA = deep slate-green; FSW = slowly slate-green; ANW = ambiguous (pale grey); KOH, NOH, ANO, PYR, GUA = negative; IKI = blue-purple on flesh of stipe base.
Tramal hyphae of branches 3-8 µm diam., clampless, hyaline, thin- to slightly thick-walled (wall up to 0.4 µm thick, rarely locally up to 2 µm thick), free at centre of branch, adherent outward, parallel; ampulliform septa not observed. Tramal hyphae of stipe similar, sinuous, free, somewhat inflated; ampulliform septa hardly inflated, thick-walled, unornamented. Hymenium thickening greatly; basidia 70-80 x 9-12 µm, broadly clavate, clampless; contents homogeneous to granular when young, multiguttulate apically when mature; sterigmata (2)-4, very slender, spindly, up to 7 µm long.
Spores (Fig. 103) (7.9) 9-10.8 x 4.3-5 µm (E = 1.79-2.23; E^m = 1.96; L^m = 9.34 µm), ellipsoid to subcylindrical, obscurely roughened; contents deep golden under phase contrast, often 1-several-guttulate; wall less than 0.2 µm thick; hilar appendix papillate; ornamentation of a few low warts, often more numerous distally.

Under Nothofagus.

Receptacula ad 80 x 90 mm, ramosa, in circumscriptione subglobosa. Stipite masso, ad 55 x 50 mm, solido, albo, glabro, siccitate friabili; ramis et ramulis flavo-aurantiis, sursum pallidioribus; apicibus cuspidatis, pallide flavo-aurantiis; apicibus et ramuhs tarde roseo-brunneis; in stipite guttulis parvulis leniter vinascentibus. Hyphis efibulatis, non inflatis; basidiis 70-80 µm longis, clavatis, efibulatis; sterigmatibus (2)-4. Sporis 9-10.8 x 4.3-5 µm, ellipsoideis ad subcylindricis, ornatis, ut in oratione infra.

COMMENTARY: The very stout base and late red-brown staining distinguish fruit bodies of this taxon from all others in New Zealand.
Fruit bodies were found with only the upper branches and tips above the substrate, and from the massive stipe and short branches, I suppose that this is its normal habit. This is similar to several taxa in western North America, especially the spring fruiting flora. A taxon with clampless hyphae in that flora would be unusual, but in New Zealand the opposite seems to be true.

South Island: Canterbury, Craigieburn Forest Reserve, 3.vi.81, coll. RHP, no. 42205 (holotype, PDD; isotype, TENN).