Nothopanax sp., on decorticated fallen branch. Auckland. Waitakere Ranges, Nov. 1945, Joan Dingley, type collection.

LOCALITY: Waitakere Ranges, New Zealand.

Bark or decorticated wood of fallen branches, associated with a soft white rot.

LOCALITY: Waitakere Ranges, Auckland.

: New Zealand: Auckland, Swanson, Waitakere ranges, on decorticated fallen branch of Pseudopanax arboreus, J. Dingley, IS.xi. 1945, PDD 4435 (holotype); Auckland, Waitakere Ranges, on Nestegis lanceolata, P.J. Brook, 7.x. 1956, PDD 17308; Nelson, Murchison (alt. 520 ft), on Nothofagus fusca, S.D. & P.J. Brook, 25.iv.1956, PDD 17313. Australia: Victoria, Sherbrooke Gully, Dandenong Range, on old rotten logs, J.H. Willis, No. 36,19.ix. 1934, PDD 12264; Victoria, Poley Ranges, beyond Warburton, on rotting bark, J.H. Willis, No. 136.W., 18.ii.1954, PDD 16454. Kenya: Aberdare Mountains, Kimakia For. Sta., D. Taylor No. 1613,28.xi. 1972,0. Japan: Yamanashi prefecture, Mt Fuji's FFPRI, on Fagus sp., M. Nunez MN-550,6.vi.l994,0 and MUCL. Borneo: Mt Kinabalu, Mesilau, 1700 m alt., forest, E.J.H. Corner, 21.i.l964, E (holotype of P. oviformis var. borneensis).

Additional Specimens from PDD (Not Examined): New Zealand: Auckland, Waitakere Ranges, Cascade Kauri Park, on Freycinetia banksii, P.M. Ambler, ix.1948, PDD 6470; Auckland, Waitakere Ranges, Waiatarua, on Freycinetia banksii, S. McBeth & J.M. Dingley, v. 1958, PDD 20107; Southland, Niagara, Catlins, on decorticated wood, S.D. & P.J. Brook, 15.iv.1957, PDD 20270.

Basidiocarp mostly seasonnal, sometimes biseasonnal, resupinate, then cushion-shaped, up to 60 x 35 mm large, or effused-reflexed to pileate, laterally or sometimes dorsally attached. Pileus solitary or sometimes laterally fused, applanate, conchate to ungulate, dimidiate to semi-circular or broadly attached, up to 12-15 mm long, 15-20 mm wide, up to 6-7 mm thick at the base, smooth to vaguely concentrically sulcate, glabrous, dull, white, cream-coloured to pale greyish orange (white drying straw colour, fide Cunningham 1965). Margin even, sharp, white to cream-coloured to pale greyish orange, bruising light reddish brown. Pore surface even, white (fide Corner 1989), cream-coloured (4A3) to dirty cream to pale greyish orange (5B3) to brownish orange (6C(5-6), caramel), occasionally bruising light reddish brown.

Pores round to ellipsoid or angular (on drying ?), even, 4-6 per mm, (135)-154-244-(272) x (112)-144-230-(250) µm diam. (x= 192 x 184 µm; 100-250 µm diam., fide Cunningham 1965). Dissepiments entire, smooth, (20)-25-80-(120) µm thick (x= 50 jxm thick). Context reduced to a thin layer, 1-4 mm thick, with a corky consistency, a fibrous texture, white to cream-coloured to greyish orange (5B(4-5)). Tube layer single or vaguely stratose, up to 4-5 mm thick, with a corky consistency, concolorous with the context, whitish to cream-coloured to light greyish orange (4A3). Crust absent.

Hyphal system dimitic and similar in the context and the trama of the tubes. Generative hyphae hyaline, thin-walled, clamped, 2-3.5 µm. wide. Vegetative hyphae as arboriform skeletal hyphae, hyaline, nondextrinoid, faintly amyloid in mass in some specimens, cyanophilous, with a basal stalk (36)-82-210-(260) µm long (x = 147 µm), with a basal clamp, unbranched, straight to rarely geniculated, thick-walled but with an open lumen, progressively widening from (1.8)-2.0-2.6-(3.1) µm wide at the basal septum (x = 2.3 µm), up to (3.0)-3.3-5.5-(8.5) µm wide at the apical branching point (x - 4.4 µm), the latter occasionally enlarged up to 10-12 µm. Branching subapical to apical, more rarely lateral, then in the upper third of the stalk. Branches 1-3, elongate, measuring up to 350 jxm long (100-350 µm) straight to sinuous, few branched, thick-walled but with an open lumen, gradually narrowing from (1.8)-2.1-3.6-(3.9) µm (x = 2.7 µm) at the basal branching point down to 1.6-2.3 µm at the thin-walled apex. Stalk and branches are usually longer and looser in the context than in the trama of the tubes.

Basidia 14-18 x 7-9 µm {fide Corner 1989), clavate to slightly pedunculate, with a basal clamp and four sterigmata Basidioles 12.5-23-(25) x (4.0)-5.2-10.5-(12) µm (x = 16.8 x 7.5 µm), clavate to slightly pedunculate, hyaline, thin-walled. Basidiospores (4.6)-4.8-6.0-(6.3) x (3.3)-3.7-4.9-(5.1) µm (x = 5.4 x 4.2 µm), R= 1.1-1.6 (XR= 1.3), subglobose to slightly ovoid to ellipsoid, rarely almost cylindrical, apically subtruncate to truncate, thick-walled, with an api¬cal germ pore, 0 or 1 guttulae, hyaline, not to strongly dextrinoid, cyanophilous. Cystidia and chlamydospores absent. Type of Rot: white rot. Cultural Features: unknown. Sexuality: unknown.

The species is well characterised by the combination of relatively small, white, cream-coloured to more commonly cork-coloured pileate, effused-reflexed to resupinate (cushion shaped) basidiocarps, a dimitic hyphal system with long, primarily arboriform skeletal hyphae, and ellipsoid to ovoid, thick-walled, apically truncate, dextrinoid basidiospores. The microstructure was described in detail by Corner (1989) both in the typical variety and var. borneensis and supports the placement in Perenniporia.

Ryvarden and Johansen (1980) described under Perenniporia 'Taylor' a specimen from Kenya that, in many respect, is very similar to P. oviformis, and that we consider to be conspecific. A collection from Japan (MN-550, O), is also very similar to Perenniporia 'Taylor' and to P. oviformis, although distinctly subungulate and with a completely white pileus. It might be referred to as P. oviformis var. borneensis Corner, distinguished from the typical variety by a pileate, dimidiate basidiocarp (Corner 1989). However, both the basidiocarp habit and pileus colour are variable within the species. Since all microscopic features of the latter specimens are in accordance with the type of P. oviformis, we think that for the time being, the difference in basidiocarp morphology alone does not warrant subdivision of the taxon. Its known geographic distribution is extended to Asia (Borneo, Japan) and east Africa (Kenya).