Holotype (PDD 27060); Isotype (Herb. HK.ZT 68/492):'Track to Mt. Robert, Lake Rotoiti, Prov. Nelson, N.Z.; leg. Horak 21.V.1968'. - Herb. HK. ZT 68/677: 'Track to St. Arnaud Range, Lake Rotoiti, Prov. Nelson, N.Z.; leg. Horak 30.XI.1968'.

Gastrocarp 15-35 x 10-40 mm, subglobose to ovoid or irregularly tuberiform, peridium white, unchanging, glutinous, smooth when dry and occasionally covered with pentagon-like cracks, about 2 mm thick, not exposing gleba but easily peeling off. Gleba when young grey-lilac becoming ferruginous or chocolate brown, loculate with irregular chambers (up to 4 mm diam.), radially arranged, not gelatinised. Columella absent or penetrating only with few branches into the gleba. Stipe always present but not well developed, resembling a subgleba in the Lycoperdaceae, mostly button-like at the base of the gastrocarp, white, glutinous, smooth, lower portion of peridium connected with apex of the stipe, without rhizoids. Context whitish. Taste mild. Odor aromatic or intensely acidulous (especially at an over-mature stage). Chemical reactions on peridium: KOH - negative.
Spores 16-20(-22) x 13-15 µm, ovoid or ellipsoid-oblong, ± axially symmetric, with prominent apiculus, ferruginous, densely covered with coarse isolated warts, perisporium well developed, without suprahilar depression or germ pore. Basidia 40-48 x 14-20 µm, clavate, 4-spored. Cystidia none. Cuticle a cutis of intensely woven gelatinous hyphae (2-4 µm diam.), membrane thin-walled, hyaline, without pigment. Subcutis consisting of cylindrical hyphae, 8-14 µm diam., clamp connections present.

On ground amongst mosses and litter under Nothofagus fusca, N. menziesii, N. cliffortioides and Leptospermum spp.: New Zealand.

Gastrocarpio 15-35 x 10-40 mm, ovoideo vel tuberiformi, albo, glutinoso, glabro. Gleba brunneo-ferruginea, lacunosa. Columella nulla. Stipite nullo vel indistincte evoluto, turbiniformi, peridio concolori. Odore aromatico, sapore nullo. Sporis 16-20(-22) x 13-15 µm, ovoideis, ± axialiter symmetricis, grosse verrucosis, ferrugineis. Basidiis 4-sporigeris. Cystidiis nullis. Epicute ex hyphis gelatinosis hyalinisque cutem formantibus, pigmento nullo instructis, fibuligeris. Ad terram in silvis nothofagineis. Novazelandia.

This species is well characterised by its white colour, the absence of a columella and the large, coarsely warted spores. In New Zealand Th. nivale Hk. could be mistaken for Th. anisodorum Hk. or even Th. luteolum Hk. but the microscopic characters of these taxa are distinctly different. The south American species Th. brevisporum Singer however, shows a close relationship to Th. nivale Hk., but differs in shape and size of the spores, a different kind of ornamentation and other characters of minor importance.

Holotypus (PDD 27060): 'Mt. Robert, Lake Rotoiti, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 21.V.1968'.