ISOLATES EXAMINED: IMI 40212 & NRRL 2024 & FRR 2024 (=CBS 233.38, ATCC 10487), neotype of Geosmithia putterillii, from decaying timber, New Zealand, J. C. Neill; IMI 40214 & NRRL 2037 & FRR 2037 (= CBS 260.33, ATCC 10478, IFO 5758), type of Penicillium pallidum, from yarn, G.B., G. Smith; IMI 51240b, from Persea gratissima, Seychelles, 1952, G. S. Brown; IMI 133283 & FRR 1705, from soil, Giza, Egypt, M. K. Moawod; IMI 155478a, from branch of Malus pumilus, Cyprus, 1971, J. P. Zyngas and IMI 191599, from a similar source, 1975; IMI 158645 & FRR 1706, from seed of Hordeum vulgaris, Boxworth, G.B., 1971, J. Lacey; IMI 190744, from Cucumis melo, Peru, 1974, A. Wallbridge; FRR 839 (= CBS 342.52) from an unrecorded source, Netherlands, 1952, C. A. de Vrie s; FRR 1119, from air in laboratory, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1970, H. J. Sivart.

CYA, 25°C, 7 days - Colonies typically 25-35 mm diameter, plane or lightly sulcate, velutinous, lightly floccose or somewhat funiculose; margins subsurface; mycelium white to buff; conidiogenesis moderate to heavy, colored Yellowish White (M.4A2); exudate and soluble pigment absent; reverse dull yellow or olive brown. MEA, 25^oC, 7 days - Colonies 20-30 mm diameter, plane, velutinous, floccose or, more characteristically, strongly funiculose; other characteristics similar to colonies on CYA. G25N, 25^oC, 7 days - Colonies typically 15-18 mm diameter, occasionally larger or smaller, with all characteristics similar to colonies on CYA. 5^oC, CYA, 7 days-Response variable, no germination to formation of microcolonies. 37°C, CYA, 7 days-Typically no growth; some isolates producing colonies up to 8 mm diameter, similar in appearance to those at 25^oC. Conidiophores borne from subsurface, aerial or funicular hyphae depending on growth character, stipes commonly 20-100 µm x 3.0-4.0 µm, with verrucose walls, characteristically bearing terminal penicilli of variable complexity, commonly with two or three branch points, but penicilli with four or five branch points between stipe and conidium also occurring, frequently so in some isolates; rami 15-20 (-30) µm x 3.0-4.0 µm, with verrucose walls; metulae 10-15 µm x 3.0-3.5 µm, with verrucose walls; phialides cylindroidal or tapering slightly towards the apices, 8-10 (-12) µm x 2.5-3.0 µm, with walls verruculose to verrucose; conidia cylindroidal, 4.0-5.0 µm x 2.0-2.5 µm, smooth walled, borne in long disordered chains.

TYPIFICATION: Thom's type of Penicillium puttcrillii was soon lost (Thom 1930: 368). Herb. IMI 40212 is designated as neotype. This is derived from NRRL 2024, considered by Raper and Thom (1949: 462) to represent the species.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS: Conidia en masse are white or off-white; growth at 37°C is slow or absent; penicilli are of variable complexity, usually with two or three, but sometimes four or five branch points.
TAXONOMY: Raper and Thom (1949) regarded Penicillium putterillii and P. pallidum as separate species based on differences in conidial color and arrangement of conidial chains. Several new isolates examined here have exhibited properties intermediate between the two species, so P. pallidum has been placed in synonymy with Geosmithia putterillii.