Dacrydium cupressinicm Sol. Westland: Pukekura, November, 1954, J.M. Dingley. Fuchsia excorticata L.f. Auckland: Lake Okataina, 1,500ft, December, 1953, G.H.C. Schefflera digitata Forst. Auckland: Whitianga Road, Coromandel Peninsula, 750ft, August, 1954, J.M. Dingley, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 13825.

Hymenophore perennial, ceraceous, adnate, effused forming irregular colonies 8-12 x 1-3 cm. with numerous scattered, irregularly orbicular outlying islands; surface cream, with pallid ochre patches, somewhat tuberculate, irregularly creviced; margin thinning out, often receding in successive layers, fibrillose, adnate. Context white, 200-300 µ thick, composed of several (4-7) zones of irregular thickness, each with a basal layer of partly gelatinized hyphae, and an intermediate layer of often anastomosed mainly upright hyphae embracing scattered cystidia and gloeocystidia; generative hyphae 3-3.5 µ diameter, walls 0.2 µ thick, hyaline, naked, branched, septate, with clamp connexions. Hymenial layer to 30 µ deep, a scanty palisade of basidia, paraphyses, cystidia and gloeocystidia. Basidia cylindrical with depressed middles, or with inflated bases, projecting, 16-20 x 5-8 µ, 4-spored; sterigmata arcuate, slender, to 6 µ long. Paraphyses subclavate, scanty, about half the length of the basidia. Gloeocystidia arranged in several irregular zones, arising from the basal layer of each zone, oval, elliptical, or obovate, 24-32 x 12-16 µ, occasionally to 25 µ wide, walls 1 µ thick. Cystidia arranged in several irregular zones, arising from the basal layer of each zone, ovate, elliptical, or conical, 24-35 x 12-20 µ, becoming stouter progressively towards the base, coarsely crystal coated. Spores globose or subglobose, 5-6 x 5-5.5 µ, walls delicately verruculose, hyaline, 0.75 µ thick.

DISTRIBUTION. New Zealand.

HABITAT. Effused on bark or decorticated dead wood.

Hymenophorum perenne, stratosum, ceraceum, adnatum, effusum; superficie cremea, tuberculatiore, rimosa. Hyphae contextus fibulatae, 3-3.5 µ diam., nudae. Basidia cylindricalia, in medio depressa, 16-20 x 5-8 µ, 4 sporis. Gloeocystidia ovata vel obovata, 24-32 x 12-16 µ. Cystidia ovata vel elliptica. 24-35 x 12-20 µ, crystallis crassis tecta. Sporae globosae vel subglobosae, 5-6 µ diam., verruculosae, hyalinae.

Though included in the same section as P. incarnata and P. coprosmae, P. inconstans differs markedly in several features, chiefly in the small oval or pyriform gloeocystidia and cystidia arranged in layers with parallel gelatinized hyphae between, finely verruculose globose spores and peculiar basidia. The last are cylindrical with middles constricted and bases somewhat inflated. Gloeocystidia and cystidia are compacted into rows in each layer of the stratose context; and because of their erratic distribution, the specific name has been given. They are mixed indiscriminately in each row, though gloeocystidia tend to predominate in younger tissues, cystidia in older.

Auckland: Whitianga Road, Coromandel Peninsula, 750ft, August, 1954, J.M. Dingley, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 13825.

Basidiome perennial, membranaceous to subceraceous, cracked when dry. Hyphae hyaline, thin-walled, 1.5-3.5 µm, with clamps. lamprocystidia encrusted, conical to ovoid or ellipsoid, 20-35 x 10-18 µm. Crystals partly dissolving in 6% KOH, underlying structure thin- to somewhat thick-walled, hyaline, ellipsoid to ovoid, up to 14 µm wide. Gloeocystidia sulphobenzaldehyde positive, thin- to somewhat thick-walled, ellipsoid to narrowly ovoid, 18-40 x 10-15 µm, filled with yellowish refractive material. Some "gloeoplerous" hyphae also present, 4-5 µm wide. Occasionally a papillate structure was present in the hymenium,1.5-2 µm wide; this structure could not be found intact, so it is not known whether it is a second kind of gloeocystidium or a hyphidium. Basidia urniform, 15-18 x 4.5-5.5 µm, in the lower part up to 7.5 µm wide. Spores hyaline, subglobose, 5.5-7.5 x 4.5-6.5 µm, warty to echinulate, amyloid; warts and amyloidity disappearing with 6% KOH.

Gloeocystidiellum convolvens (Karsten) Donk is similar to this species in possessing both gloeocystidia and lamprocystidia. However, G. convolvens differs in the absence of clamps and the shape of the gloeocystidia.

Holotype: on Schefflera digitata J.R. & G. Forst., New Zealand, Coromandel, Whitianga Road, coll. J.M. Dingley, Aug. 1954 (PDD 13825).