UNKNOWN HOSTS. New South Wales, Pine Creek. Fiji, Suva.

Hymenophore annual, coriaceous, pileate, sessile. Pilei commonly flabelliform or conchate, attached by a small umbo, occasionally applanate with lateral edges inrolled, solitary or crowded, 1.5-4 cm radius, 2-5 cm wide; pileus surface densely tomentose, or even, lanate when young, straw colour or dingy ochre, concentrically ridged and furrowed, sometimes concentrically zoned with concolorous hairs, becoming denuded in concentric areas exposing the chestnut cortex; hymenial surface at first chestnut, drying cinereous, reddish where bruised, concentrically furrowed, or even, at length deeply radiately creviced. Context isabelline, 0.3-0.8 mm thick, a dense layer of radiately arranged parallel hyphae, bordered by a coloured cortex of cemented parallel hyphae bearing the abhymenial hairs; skeletal hyphae to 6 µm diameter, walls 1-1.5 µm thick; generative hyphae 2.5-3 µm diameter, walls 0.2 µm thick, without clamp connections. Conducting hyphae modified from skeletal hyphae, penetrating the hymenial layer but not projecting, inflated to 8 µm, walls 1-1.5 µm thick, contents orange. Hymenial layer to 85 µm deep, a dense palisade of basidia, paraphyses, and conducting hyphae. Basidia subclavate, 16-24 x 4-4.5 µm, bearing 4 spores; sterigmata slender, erect, to 5 µm long. Paraphyses cylindrical or subclavate, 12-20 x 3.5-4 µm. Spores elliptical, apiculate, 4-6 x 3-3.5 µm, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.1 µm thick.

DISTRIBUTION: North and South America, West Indies, Madagascar, South Africa, Fiji, Australia.

HABITAT: Solitary or crowded on bark of dead branches.

Specimens agree with authentic material from Madagascar examined in Kew herbarium. The species is close to S. fasciatum in general appearance, especially surface features, differing in colour of the hymenial surface, thicker context, broader spores, and especially, presence of conducting hyphae. The last are modified ends of skeletal hyphae containing orange contents which stain deeply. They simulate cystidioid hyphae, differing in contents and greater abundance. When fresh the hymenium if cut bleeds as in S. sanguinolentum. From the latter the species differs in possessing a dimitic hyphal system, whereas in most 'bleeders' the hyphal system is monomitic, conducting hyphae being modified from generative hyphae. Occasional acanthophyses were noted in the Madagascar collection, but are absent from specimens collected in this region.

TYPE LOCALITY: Florida, U.S.A.