On twigs, &c. Waitaki (81).

PDD 3640, 21160, 68791.

Fruiting body a sessile (or occasionally short-stalked) sporangium, gregarious to crowded, globose or obovate to somewhat elongated, yellow to olive-brown to yellow-brown, 0.5–0.9 mm in diameter. Peridium persistent, membranous, shining or sometimes encrusted with darker material. Capillitium yellow to ochraceous, consisting of relatively long, free elaters, 3–5 µm in diameter, bearing 2 (or rarely 3) prominent, widely spaced spiral bands, tips acute, curved, about twice the diameter of the elater in length. Spores yellow to orange-yellow in mass, dull yellow by transmitted light, delicately warted, 12–14 µm in diameter. Plasmodium white.

Cosmopolitan (Martin & Alexopoulos 1969). First reported from New Zealand by Cooke (1879), based on a specimen collected in Dunedin. Also known from Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay (Colenso 1887), Buller, Nelson, Fiordland, Mid Canterbury, Otago Lakes, and Southland.

Decaying wood, usually that of broadleaf trees.

Martin & Alexopoulos (1969), Nannenga-Bremekamp (1991), Neubert et al. (1993), Stephenson & Stempen (1994), Lado & Pando (1997), Ing (1999).

The single most important distinguishing feature of Trichia varia is the capillitium, which is made up of elaters with widely spaced sprial bands that protrude more on one side than the other.