CORNACEAE. Griselinia lucida: Auckland, Glen Esk Valley, Piha, 300 m.

Hymenophore annual, arachnoid, pelliculose, adherent, effused forming irregular areas to 7 x 5 cm; hymenial surface white or bluish-grey, even, vernicose, not creviced; margin thinning out, arachnoid, white, adherent. Context white, basal layer a delicate zone of parallel hyphae soon collapsing, intermediate layer absent; generative hyphae 2-2.5 µm diameter, walls 0.1 µm thick, naked, with clamp connections. Cystidia projecting for the greater part of their length, cylindrical or tapering slightly from bases to apices which are sometimes slightly expanded, somewhat flexuous and often collapsed, 50-72 x 8-12 µm, walls naked, 0.25-0.5 µm thick, of equal thickness from base to apex. Hymenial layer a shallow zone of scattered basidia, paraphyses, cystidia, and paraphysate hyphae. Basidia subclavate or cylindrical, 14-18 x 7-8 µm, bearing 3-4 spores; sterigmata arcuate, slender, to 6 µm long. Paraphyses cylindrical, 10-14 x 5-6 µm. Paraphysate hyphae scanty, capitate, 12-14 x 4 µm, apices slightly expanded to 6 µm. Spores obovate, oval, subglobose, or globose, 7-12 µm diameter, or 8-12 x 8-10 µm, walls moderately verruculose, hyaline, 0.5 µm thick, spines 0.5-1 µm long.

DISTRIBUTION: Canada, Eastern United States, New Zealand.

HABITAT: Decorticated wood of dead branches.

The New Zealand collection agrees with the excellent type description, differing only in that cystidia are slightly broader and spores slightly larger. T. praeterita most closely resembles T. rimicola in structure of the context, manner in which basidia and cystidia arise, verruculose spores, and presence of capitate paraphysate hyphae. It differs in that spores are larger and of different shape, with more prominent verrucae and thicker walls, and in the stout shorter cystidia and thinner context.

TYPE LOCALITY: Ontario, Canada.