Brachyglottis repanda Forst. Auckland: Taneatua Reserve, 50ft, May, 1952, G.H.C., type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 11484 Hedycarya arborea Forst. Auckland: Lake Okataina, 1,400ft, June, 1951, J.M. Dingley. Weinmannia racemosa L.f. Wellington: Ohakune, 2,000ft, December, 1953, J.M. Dingley.

Hymenophore annual, sometimes biennial, membranous, adnate, effused forming irregular linear areas 12-15 x 3-5 cm; surface dingy white or pallid cream, velutinate, not creviced; margin thinning out, membranous, adnate, sometimes tending to lift. Context white, 50-130 µ thick, basal layer narrow, of parallel hyphae, intermediate layer scanty, of closely compacted hyphae collapsed when old, many crystal coated; generative hyphae 2.5-4 µ diameter, walls 0.2 µ thick, hyaline, branched, septate, with inconspicuous small clamp connexions. Hymenial layer to 35 µ deep, an irregular palisade of basidia, paraphyses, paraphysate hyphae and cystidia. Basidia subclavate or subcylindrical, projecting, 20-25 x 7-9 µ, 2-4-spored; sterigmata arcuate, to 8 µ long. Paraphyses scanty, subclavate, to 18 x 7 µ. Paraphysate hyphae abundant, projecting to 18 µ, 2-3 µ diameter, each bearing a cap of acicular crystals. Cystidia arising from the base of the intermediate layer, emerging for the greater part of their length, subulate, 120-210 x 12-16 µ, bases rounded and inflated; apices long-acuminate, thick-walled, rugulose-roughened or etched, sometimes with a few crystals and enclosed within a sheath of delicate hyphae. Spores globose, subglobose, oval sometimes broadly elliptical, 7-11 x 6-9 µ, strongly apiculate, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.25 µ thick.

DISTRIBUTION. New Zealand.

HABITAT. Effused on bark of dead branches.

Hymenophoram annuum vel biennale, membranaceum, adnatum, effusum; superficie griseo-alba vel pallide cremea, velutina, non rimosa. Hyphae contextus fibulatae, 2.5-4 µ diam., nudae. Basidia subclavata vel subcylindricalia, eminentia, 20-25 x 7-9 µ, 2-4 sporis. Hyphae paraphysum apice crystallis coronatae. Cystidia subulata, eminentia, 120-210 x 12-16 µ, caelata, velut si crystallis tenuibus tecta. Sporae globosae, subglobosae vel ovales, 7-11 x 6-9 µ, laeves, hyalinae.

Among the species with radicate cystidia, P. gladiola and P. hastata are outstanding, none approaching them having been seen in Kew herbarium. Cystidia are subulate, project far beyond the delicate context, walls are thickened, become partly disorganized in KOH, and are rugulose-roughened as if etched, rather than crystal coated. Frequently they are enmeshed in a hyphal sheath as in P. vermifera.
P. gladiola is differentiated by the large basidia, subglobose or oval smooth spores with granular contents, and presence of paraphysate hyphae. The last are slender, project, and bear on their apices caps of acicular crystals. They may be plentiful or scanty in different collections, but are always present. Basidia sometimes bear two spores which are slightly larger than those from the tetrasporous forms.

Auckland: Taneatua Reserve, 50ft, May, 1952, G.H.C., type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 11484

ANACARDIACEAE. Plectomirtha baylisana: Auckland, Great King Island. ARALIACEAE. Neopanax simplex: Wellington, Totara Reserve, Pohangina Valley, 50 m. COMPOSITAE. Brachyglottis repanda: Auckland, Taneatua Reserve, 20 m, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 11484. CONIFERAE. Cupressus macrocarpa: Auckland, Campbells Bay, 75 m. CUNONIACEAE. Weinmannia racemosa: Wellington, Blyth Track, Ohakune, 700 m. MONIMIACEAE. Hedycarya arborea: Auckland, Lake Okataina, 500 m. MYRTACEAE. Leptospermum ericoides: Wellington, Lake Papaitonga, 20 m.

Hymenophore annual, sometimes biennial, membranous, adherent, effused forming irregular linear areas 12-15 x 3-5 cm; hymenial surface dingy white or pallid cream, velutinate, not creviced; margin thinning out, membranous, adherent but sometimes tending to lift. Context white, 50-130 µ thick, basal layer narrow, of parallel hyphae, intermediate layer scanty, of densely compacted hyphae collapsed when old, many crystal encrusted; generative hyphae 2.5-4 µ diameter, walls 0.2 µ thick, some encrusted, with clamp connections. Cystidia arising from the base of the intermediate layer, projecting for the greater part of their length, subulate, 120-210 x 12-16 µ, bases rounded and inflated, apices long-acuminate, thick-walled, rugulose-roughened or etched, sometimes bearing a few crystals and enmeshed within sheaths of delicate hyphae. Hymenial layer to 35 µ deep, an irregular palisade of basidia, paraphyses, paraphysate hyphae, and cystidia. Basidia subclavate or subcylindrical, 20-25 x 7-9 µ, bearing 2-4 spores; stengmata arcuate, to 8 µ long. Paraphyses scanty, subclavate, 12-18 x 6-7 µ. Paraphysate hyphae abundant, projecting to 18 µ, 2-3 µ diameter, each bearing a cap of acicular crystals. Spores globose, subglobose, oval, or sometimes broadly elliptical, strongly apiculate, 7-11 x 6-9 µ, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.2 µ thick.

TYPE LOCALITY: Taneatua Reserve, Auckland, New Zealand.
DISTRIBUTION: New Zealand.

HABITAT: Effused on bark of dead branches.

T. gladiola and T. hastata possess similar cystidia. These are subulate, project far beyond the delicate context, walls are thickened, become partly disorganised in solutions of potassium hydroxide, and are rugulose-roughened as if etched. Frequently they are enmeshed in hyphal sheaths.

Basidiome membranaceous, white to creamcoloured. Hyphae thin-walled, clamped at all septa. Cystidia strongly projecting, subulate, thick-walled, multiradicate (often biradicate) at the base; wall covered with crystals, inner layer(s) dextrinoid at the base; 100-160 x 11-21 µm, sometimes with one or more hyphae which may ensheath the cystidium. Cystidioles originating from subicular hyphae, thinwalled, subulate,11-20 x 2.5-3.5 µm, the upper half or only the apex covered with coarse, sharp crystals. Basidia barrel-shaped to ovoid, often constricted towards the apex, with (2-)4 sterigmata,15-25 x 810 µm, at least some basidia arising laterally. Spores hyaline, vemuculose, globose to subglobose, 5.5-11.5 x 5-10 µm, not amyloid. Ornamentation consisting of circular, flattened warts, visible (although often faintly) in Melzer's reagent but dissolving in KOH.

Cunningham (1955,1963) reported that spores of P. gladiola were smooth, possibly because he examined material only in KOH. Under SEM, some variation in spore ornamentation is evident between different collections, e.g., spores from the holotype (Fig. 8) have smaller and more closely packed warts than those from a paratype collection (PDD 11444, Fig. 9).
The species belongs to Litschauerella and is very close to L. clematitis (Bourdot & Galzin) J. Eriksson & Ryv., the only species with globose to subglobose spores. Litschauerella gladiola has been considered a synonym of this species by Weresub (1961) and Oberwinkler (1965, sub Peniophora abietis (Bourdot & Galzin) Botudot & Galzin). It differs, however, from this species by the presence of encrusted cystidioles, larger cystidia and the ornamentation of the spores.
Spore ornamentation in the complex around L. clematitis is rather variable, as demonstrated by Eriksson & Ryvarden (1976). They described the ornamentation of L. clematitis as widely spaced 4sided, flat-topped warts, but also described a specimen of an, as yet, undescribed species of Litschauerella, having spores with irregularly arranged, thin, erect, rectangular plates, and another) with nearly smooth spore walls.
Spore size shows wide variation within L. gladiola. Spores from the holotype (6.5-11.5 x 6.5-10 µm, Fig. 8) were on average larger than those in other PDD collections (e.g., PDD 11444, 5.5-9 x 5-8.5, Fig. 9; spores also showed larger warts than those in the holotype). However, spores in all collections seen were globose to subglobose, and collections could not be distinguished by other morphological features.

Holotype: on Brachyglottis repanda Forst. & Forst. f., New Zealand, Auckland, Taneatua Reserve, coll. G.H. Cunningham, 23 May 1952 (PDD 11484).