DWM 3136, 3160, 3181

Fruiting body a stalked sporangium, gregarious to clustered, 1.0–1.5 mm tall. Sporotheca globose, erect, fuscous, becoming purplish brown or ferruginous as the spores are dispersed, 0.4–0.7 mm in diameter. Stalk black, opaque, attenuate above, about half the total height of the sporotheca. Hypothallus membranous, discoid to contiguous for a group of sporangia, colourless to black, sometimes inconspicuous. Peridium fugacious. Columella extending to the apex of the sporangium and there expanded as a small, shining, cup- or funnel-shaped apical peridial disk, not exceeding 0.2 mm in diameter. Capillitium attached to the apical peridial disk, the threads long, dark flexuous, sparsely branched. Spores dark brown to black in mass, greyish brown by transmitted light, minutely warted, 10–12 µm in diameter. Plasmodium watery white.

Although reported as probably cosmopolitan by Martin & Alexopoulos (1969), this species appears to be limited to temperate regions of the world. First reported from New Zealand by Mitchell (1992), based on specimens appearing on bark samples of Pinus sp. in moist chamber culture. The bark samples were collected in Auckland and Taupo/Bay of Plenty. Also known from Campbell Island.

Decaying wood and bark; also appearing on tree bark (especially that from conifers) in moist chamber cultures.

Martin & Alexopoulos (1969), Nannenga-Bremekamp (1991), Stephenson & Stempen (1994), Ing (1999), Neubert et al. (2000).

The “May-pole” arrangement of columella and branches of the capillitium make this species easy to recognize.