Albizzia lophantha Benth. Auckland. Campbell's Bay, January, 1954, E.E.Chamberlain. Beilschmiedia tawa (A.Cunn.) Hook.f. & Benth. Auckland. Te Whaiti, 1,500 ft., June, 1951, J.M.Dingley. Taneatua Reserve, 50 ft., May, 1952, G.H.C. Lake Rotoehu, 1,200 ft., June, 1952, G.H.C. Wellington. Lake Papaetonga, 50 ft., August, 1952, G.H.C. Cyathea medullaris (Forst.f.) Swartz. Auckland. Mt. Atkinson, Waitakeres, 800 ft., May, 1950, J.M.Dingley. Rhipogonum scandens Forst. Wellington. Carter's Bush, Carterton, 150 ft., December, 1952, G.H.C., type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 11849.

Hymenophore annual, adnate, membranous-coriaceous, effused forming linear areas to 30 x 1-5 cm., or sometimes small scattered discrete elliptical colonies to 3 x 1 cm.; surface cream then alutaceous, even, at length becoming finely areolately creviced; margin thinning out, white, fibrillose, adnate. Context 30-100 µ thick, alutaceous, composed of a narrow basal layer of cemented repent hyphae, an intermediate layer of scanty woven hyphae associated with numerous dichophyses arranged in one or several vague layers and numerous gloeocystidia compacted into a palisade near the base; generative hyphae to 3 µ diameter, wall 0.25 µ thick, hyaline, branched, septate, with clamp connections. Hymenial layer somewhat obscure, to 40 µ deep, of basidia, paraphyses, gloeocystidia and dichophyses. Basidia cylindrical, projecting to half their length, 24-30 x 5-6 µ, 4-spored, soon collapsing; sterigmata slender, upright, 6-8 µ long. Paraphyses scanty, subclavate, smaller than the basidia. Gloeocystidia flexuous-cylindrical, when irregular in length and shape, projecting slightly, or not, 40-56 x 8-10 µ, with apex rounded or drawn into an acute point, at base inflated, also crowded near the base when ovate, oval or pyriform, 18-20 x 9-12 µ. Dichophyses staining deeply, somewhat irregular in shape and branching, 16-30 µ across, twice or thrice dichotomously branched, terminal ends acute, curved or straight. Spores elliptical, some obovate, apex rounded, base apiculate, sometimes obliquely so, 8-12 x 5.5-6.5 µ, soon collapsing, wall hyaline, smooth, 0.2 µ thick.

DISTRIBUTION. New Zealand.

HABITAT. Effused on bark of dead branches and tern stipes.

Hymenophorum adnatum, membranaceum, effusum; superficie cremea, deinde alutacea, tenuiter areolatae rimosa; margine albo, fibrilloso, adnato. Contextus 30-100 µ crassus, alutaceus. Basidia cylindrata, 24-30 x 5-6 µ. Gloeocystidia flexuoso-cylindrata, leviter vel non eminentia, 40-56 x 8-10 µ apicibus longo-acuminatis, in contextu ovata, ovalia vel piriformia, 18-20 x 9-12 µ. Dichophyses hyalini, 16-30 µ, libere ramosi. Sporae ellipticae, aliquot obovatae, apiculatae, 8-12 x 5.5-6.5 µ, hyalinae, laeves.

Chief diagnostic features are the elliptical spores, hyaline deeply staining dichophyses crowded in the hymenial layer and context, dense palisade of gloeocystidia in the hymenial layer and especially in the base of the context where they are compacted and many cemented. Basidia collapse immediately spores attain full size so are seldom seen in other than actively fruiting specimens. The species differs from V. racemosa (Burt) R. & J., which also possesses elliptical spores, by the presence of much larger well-developed dichophyses, differently shaped gloeocystidia which are more freely developed in the base of the context, and larger spores.

Rhipogonum scandens Forst. Wellington. Carter's Bush, Carterton, 150 ft., December, 1952, G.H.C., type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 11849.