NEW ZEALAND: South Island: Nelson, Lake Rotoiti, Mt. Robert, under Nothofagi solandri var. cliffortioides, 3. V. 1968, leg. HORAK (ZT 68/356).

This species is closely related to P. statuum (SPEGAZZINI) HORAK, a very common fungus in the Nothofagus forests of Chile and Argentina (HORAK 1980).

COLLECTIONS EXAMINED: Under (1) N. fusca, Nelson: Lake Daniels Track, 15.v.1969, 16.v.1969, R. F. R. McN.; (2) N. fusca and N. menziesii. Nelson: Maruia, 23.iii.l966, R. F. R. McN. (2 collections); 6.v.1968, R. F. R. McN.; Jackson's Creek, 7.v.1968, R. F. R. McN.; Lake Daniels Track, 14.iv.l968,R. F. R. McN. (HOLOTYPE, PDD26292); (3) N. menziesii. Nelson: Maruia, 16.v.1969, R. F. R. McN.; Lake Daniels Track, 14.v.1969, R. F. R. McN.; (4) N. menziesii and N. solandri, Canterbury: Lewis Pass, 6.v.1968, R. F. R. McN.; Boyle River, 7.v.1968, R. J. McN., R. F. R. McN.; Dan's Bridge, 7.v.1968, R. F. R. McN.; (5) N. solandri, Canterbury: Craigieburn, 5.ii.l969, E. Horak and R. F. R. McN.; (6) N. solandri var. clifforlioides, Canterbury: junction Bealey and Waimakariri Rivers, 23.iv.1960, J. M. Dingley.

PILEUS: convex when young, centrally depressed, infundibuliform, irregularly infundibuliform, or occasionally spathulate at maturity, 3-10.5 cm diam., dry, velutinate when young, often circumferentially creviced or minutely to coarsely squarrose and exposing the yellowish context at maturity, mustard brown, dark rusty brown, dark cinnamon brown, chestnut brown or cocoa brown, often paling slightly towards margins; cuticle a trichodermium, composed of erect, filamentous hyphae with simple septa and dark brown contents, terminal cells cylindrical or tapering apically, thin-walled or slightly thick-walled, often externally roughened, 5-15 µm. diam.; margins strongly involute when young, moderately involute and often undulate and irregularly lobed at maturity, sometimes with a sooty appearance where the cuticle has separated into minute areolae. LAMELLAE: moderately crowded, deeply decurrent, repeatedly dichotomously branched 4-(6) times, not anastomosing or meruloid near stipe, to 6mm deep, golden yellow to ochraceous yellow at maturity, discoloured dark reddish brown where damaged, lamellulae absent. STIPE: 1-4.5 cm long, subequal or tapering basally, 1-2 cm diam. apically, 0.5-1.5 cm diam. basally, central or occasionally eccentric, solid or slightly hollowed at maturity, dry, coarsely velutinate to tomentose by presence of filamentous, septate hyphae with brown contents, concolorous with lamellae apically, more or less concolorous with pileus basally; basal mycelium white; flesh sordid yellowish brown, rapidly turning reddish brown on exposure to air; veil absent.  SPORES: spore print orange-brown (Amber Brown); spores golden melleous to bright rusty brown, broadly elliptic-subfusiform, suprahilar depression or applanation occasionally present, apiculate, germ pore absent, 9.8-13-(14.5) X 4.8-5.5-(6.5) µm., moderately thick-walled, smooth. HYMENIUM: basidia hyaline or tinted yellow with yellow contents, subclavate to clavate, 40-60 X 7.5-10.5 µm., (2)-4-spored; cystidia absent. HYMENOPHORAL TRAMA: bilateral, mediostratum of moderately loosely interwoven hyphae and oleiferous hyphae, lateral stratum of more closely interwoven hyphae; clamp connections absent. CONTEXT OF PILEUS: sordid yellowish to yellowish white, rapidly turning reddish brown on exposure to air. SMELL: not distinctive. TASTE: bitter. CHEMICAL CHARACTERS: KOH on pileus—deep reddish brown; on context—yellow or reddish yellow; NH4OH on pileus—deep reddish brown with red flush; on context— yellow.

HABITAT : Gregarious or caespitose under Nothofagus.

Pileus infundibuliformis vel interdum spathulatus, 3-10.5 cm diam., siccus, velutinatus ubi juvenilis, rimosus vel squarrosus ubi maturus, fuscus. Lamellae decurrentes, bipartito furcatae 4-(6) vicibus, ad 6 mm altae, aureae, fulvescentes ubi laesae. Stipes 1-4.5 cm longus, subaequalis, 1-2 cm diam., siccus, crasse velutinatus vel tomentosus, concolor cum lamellis apicaliter, plus minusve concolor cum pileo basaliter. Sporae late elliptico-subfusiformes 9.8-13-(14.5) X 4.8-5.5-(6.5) µm., leves.

Typus: Nelson Province, Springs Junction, Lake Daniels Track, 14.iv.l968, R. F. R. McN., PDD 26292.