New Zealand: North Island: Taranaki, Mt Egmont National Park, Stratford Mt Lodge, 12.VI. 1968, Horak (PDD 27159, holotype; ZT 68/539, isotype).

Pileus -12 mm, hemispheric when young later becoming convex to plane; brown to dark soot-brown, fuliginous, aged specimens becoming grey-argillaceous; granular to minutely squamulose at disc, smooth towards striate margin; dry, hygrophanous, membranous, veil remnants absent. Lamellae (L 8-12, -3) moderately crowded, adnate to adnexed, ventricose; pale grey-brown at first, turning pale fuliginous with age, edge albofimbriate. Stipe -15 x -1 mm, cylindric, equal, central; concolorous with pileus, whitish-pruinose at apex; dry, hollow, single in groups, basal tomentum absent, veil remnants none. Context brown. Odour not distinctive. Spores 6.5-8 x 4-5 µm, distinctly limoniform, pale brown, membrane thin-walled, smooth, germ pore absent. Basidia 20-26 x 5-6 µm, 4-spored. Cheilocystidia 40-55 x 5-8 µm, fusoid, neck elongated, apically rounded, membrane thin walled, hyaline or pale brown, clamped at basal septum. Pleurocystidia absent. Caulocystidia like cheilocystidia. Cuticle composed of irregularly arranged chains of ovoid to subglobose hyphae (5-13 µm diam.), terminal cells clavate or broadly fusoid, membrane not gelatinised, encrusted with brownish pigment. Clamp connections present.

On rotting leaves of Cordyline indivisa Sieud.(Agavaceae). New Zealand.

Pileus -12 mm, convexo-planus. fuliginosus, granulatus. Lamellae adnato-adnexae, pallide argillaceo-fuligineae. Stipes -15 x -1 mm, cylindricus, pileo concolor, apicaliter pruinosus. Sporae 6.5-8 x 4-5 µm, limoniformes. Cheilocystidia elongato-fusoidea. Ad folia vetusta Cordylinidis indivisae. Novazelandia.

Microscopically this species can be mistaken for F. pulveraceus Horak, a common species of Flammulaster in New Zealand. However, the two related agarics are distinguished by the fuliginous colour of the carpophores and the smaller spores in F. foliicola, recorded once on rotting leaves of cordyline indivisia (cabbage-tree).

Typus PDD 27159.

New Zealand: North Island: Taranaki, Mt Egmont National Park, Dawson Falls, 19.VI. 1968, leg. Horak (PDD 27158, holotype: ZT 68/573, isotype). Coromandel Peninsula. Kauaeranga Valley, 9.VII. 1968. leg. Horak (ZT 68/654). South Island: Westland, Ahaura. Kopara, 8.XII. 1967, leg. Horak (ZT 67/220). Nelson. Lake Rotoiti, Tophouse Saddle, 30.1V. 1968. leg. Horak (ZT 68/339), Nelson, Lake Rotoiti, Tophouse Saddle, 1.V.1968, leg. Horak (ZT 68/340).

Pileus -12 mm, hemispheric to convex, expanded with age; argillaceous to pale brown with distinct ochraceous, copper-red or rust-brown tinge over disc; distinctly granular to subsquamulose when young (squamules appear conic to wart-like under the hand-lens), becoming farinaceous or micaceous with age; dry, not hygrophanous, margin substriate, conspicuous veil remnants absent. Lamellae (L 6-8,-3) moderately crowded to subdistant, adnate to adnexed, ventricose; concolorous with pileus or paler, often with ochraceous tinge, becoming pale fuscous with age, edge albofimbriate. Stipe -25 x -1.5 mm, cylindric, equal, central; upper half concolorous with pileus, lower half becoming dark brown with age; pruinose near apex, fibrillose or waned towards base; dry, hollow, single in groups, cortina absent. Context pale brown. Odour none or acidic. Spores 7-9 x 4.5-5.5 µm, distinctly limoniform, pale yellow-brown, membrane thin-walled germ pore absent, smooth. Basidia 20-30 x 6-8 µm, 4-spored, rarely 2-spored. Cheilocystidia 30-55 X, 6-8 µm, fusoid, slender, membrane hyaline or pale-yellow-brown, forming dense seam on edge, clamp connection on basal septum. Pleurocystidia none. Caulocystidia like cheilocystidia but larger. Cuticle composed of irregularly arranged chains of globose. to ovoid cells, with brown (KOH) membranous and encrusting pigment, membrane not gelatinised. Clamp connections numerous.

on rotting leaves, stems, and wood of dicotyledonous plants and mosses (Nothofagus spp., Weinmannia racemosa Linn.f., Brachyglottis repanda J. R. et G. Forst., Sphagnum). New Zealand

Pileus -12 mm. convexo-planus, argillaceo-roseus vel argillaceo-ochraceus, minute squamulosus vel micaceo-pulveraceus. Lamellae adnato-adnexae, pileo concolores, albofimbriatae. Stipes -25 x 1.5mm, cylindricus. pileo concolor, basim versus fuscus, minute floccoso-pruinosus. Sporae 7-9 x 4.5-5.5 µm, limoniformes. Cheilocystidia elongato-fusoidea. Ad lignum putridum vel folia deiecta. Novazelandia.

All morphologic aspects of F. pulveraceus are typical for the genus Flammulaster. Taxonomically this species has several close relatives not only in New Zealand (F. foliicola) but also in other regions both in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, i.e., F. mucronosporus (Singer 1953) in Argentina and Chile, F. gregarius (Singer 1956) in the USA, and F. curpophilus (Fries) Singer in Europe (compare also Moser 1978:301).

Typus PDD27158