Hebeloma strophosum (Fries) Fig. 25 = Agrocybe sp.

The characters of a collection under this name at Kew ("New Zealand") indicate that this material is not a Hebeloma. Because of the still visible ring and smooth spores with a broad germ pore, this fungus is placed in Agrocybe. In the absence of data on the colour and other ephemeral characters of fresh carpophores, a reliable identification cannot be made.

A collection also in K simply labelled 'Agaricus strophosus Fries, New Zealand' is not a species of Hebeloma as would be assumed from the use of Fries' name but a species of Agrocybe. We are grateful to Egon Horak for drawing this Colenso collection, which appears to be from Wairarapa (Massee, 1898), to our attention. The collection consists of a partially expanded basidioma with distinct velar remains on both the pileus-margin and stipe. The gill-margin is badly damaged but the basidiospores are characteristically bolbitiaceous, with thick-wall and large, truncate germ-pore; the basidia are 4-spored.

It can only be assumed that the basidioma when fresh was relatively pale-coloured from the epithet chosen but it is impossible without field data to trace the relationships of this collection. The following additional data are offered:

Basidiospores 10-12 x 7-8.5 µm, ellipsoid, slightly flattened in side-view, smooth, thick-walled, ochraceous brown in water, darker in aqueous alkali solutions; germ-pore distinct, broad. Cystidia not found.