Hymenophore annual, membranous, adnate, effused forming numerous small elliptical colonies in bark crevices, 1-5 x 0.5-1.5 cm; surface white, velutinate, scantily creviced; margin thinning out, arachnoid, adnate, white. Context white, to 60 µ thick, basal layer delicate, of a few parallel hyphae, intermediate layer of scanty, mainly upright, short-celled hyphae; generative hyphae 3-3.5 µ diameter, walls 0.2µ thick, hyaline, often crystal coated, branched, freely septate, with small, inconspicuous clamp connexions. Hymenial layer to 20 µ deep, of scanty basidia, paraphyses and abundant cystidia. Basidia subclavate, 12-16 x 5-6 µ, soon collapsing, 4-spored; sterigmata slender, to 4 µ long. Paraphyses subclavate, shorter and narrower than the basidia. Cystidia arising from the base of the intermediate layer and projecting for the greater part of their length, subulate with slightly inflated bases and long-acuminate apices, 110-190 x 10-14 µ, thick-walled, rugulose-roughened or etched, sometimes bearing a few crystals and enmeshed in a delicate hyphal sheath. Spores broadly elliptical, ovate, obovate, sometimes flattened on one side, 5-6 x 4-5 µ, walls finely verruculose, hyaline, 0.5 µ thick, soon collapsed.

DISTRIBUTION. New Zealand.

HABITAT. Effused in bark crevices on dead branches.

Hymenophorum annuum, membranaceum, adnatum, ellipticum, 1-5 x 0.5-1.5 cm; superficie alba, velutina, rimosa. Hyphae contextus fibulatae, 3-3.5 µ diam., nudae. Basidia subclavata, 12-16 x 5-6 µ, 4 sporis. Cystidia. subulata, eminentia, 110-190 x 10-14 µ, caelata, velut si crystallis tenuibus tecta. Sporae late ellipticae vel obovate, 5-6 x 4-5 µ, subtiliter verruculosae, hyalinae.

Close to P. gladiola, differing in the smaller basidia, smaller elliptical spores with finely verruculose walls, and absence of paraphysate hyphae.

Griselinia lucida Forst. Auckland: Glen Esk Valley, Piha, May, 1951, J.M. Dingley, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 11442.