LAURACEAE. Beilschmiedia tawa: Auckland, Anawhata Road, Waitakere Ranges, 300 m; Cutty Grass Road, Waitakere Ranges, 300 m.

Hymenophore resupinate, annual, fragile, pelliculose, loosely attached, effused forming irregular areas to 8 x 4 cm; hymenial surface cream, drying reddish-brown or pallid olive in patches, with sparse, irregular; broken reticulations 0.5-5 mm across, folds delicate, not exceeding 0.4 mm tall; margin ivory, to 5 mm broad, arachnoid, fibrillose and sometimes with rhizomorphs. Context dingy white, to 300 µm thick, basal layer narrow, of parallel hyphae which may attain a diameter of 8 µm, irregularly crystal encrusted, intermediate layer of naked intertwined hyphae; generative hyphae 3-5 (8) µm diameter, walls 0.1 µm thick, hyaline, with clamp connections. Hymenial layer to 25 µm deep, a dense palisade of basidia and paraphyses. Basidia subclavate, 14-20 x 4.5-5 µm, bearing 2-4 spores; sterigmata erect, to 4 µm long. Paraphyses subclavate, 12-16 x 4-4.5 µm. Spores elliptic-oblong with rounded ends, 4-4.5 x 2.5-3 µm, a few subglobose when 4 x 3.5 µm, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.1 µm thick.

DISTRIBUTION: Europe, Great Britain, North America, New Zealand.

HABITAT: Effused on decorticated fallen branches.

Specimens agree with collections examined in Kew herbarium, save in surface colour and slightly larger diameter of some hyphae of the basal layer. Features by which the species may be identified are the shallow, broken, irregular folds of the pelliculose hymenial layer, small elliptic-oblong spores with rounded ends and hyaline walls, and stout encrusted hyphae of the basal layer, contrasting with the narrower naked hyphae of the intermediate layer. Hymenial reticulations are not arranged in any pattern, but appear as irregular folds simulating shallow pores, raised portions resembling stars or angles, sometimes connected with shallow folds not exceeding 0.4 mm tall. Surface colour varies appreciably. Fresh specimens are pallid cream; when dried, patches develop which are reddish-brown, pallid olive, or fuscous.

TYPE LOCALITY: Europe.