Beilschmiedia tawa (A.Cunn.) Hook.f. & Benth.

Auckland. Moumoukai Valley, Hunua Range, July 1949, Joan Dingley. Dacrydium cupressinum Sol. Wellington. Weraroa, Sept. 1919, G.H.C.; Same Locality, May 1923, J.C.Neill; Wilton's Bush, G.B.Rawlings. Hedycarya arborea Forst. Auckland. Oratia Stream, 500 feet, March 1931, M.Hodgkins. Leptospermum ericoides A.Rich. Auckland. Hunua Falls, 400 feet, Oct. 1946, G.H.C.

New Zealand.

Growing usually caespitose on bark or decorticated wood on the under surface of fallen branches and logs.

Pilei grow pendulous upon the under side of fallen logs, attached by a brief extension of the vertex. When solitary they assume a discoid shape with the hymenium downward; when caespitose, the common condition, the pilei merge to form large dish-shaped bodies attached by numerous short apical extensions. Occasionally plants assume a flabelliform shape, and are then attached by. a lateral extension of the pileus. Such forms resemble pilei of P. exiguis from which they may be separated by the minute pores, prominently toothed dissepiments, lighter colour of the hymenophore, and globose spores. Dissepiments are very thin and delicate. In old specimens the hymenium may become much creviced and torn, when it is difficult to detect the pores.

In Fries' herbarium at Upsala I saw specimens named P. catervatus by M.C.Cooke. They had been collected in July 1874, at Wellington by S.Berggren and are identical with specimens described above and the illustration given by Berkeley (l.c., Pl. CV., Fig. 1.)

TYPE LOCALITY: Waimate, Bay of Islands, New Zealand.

Specimens forwarded to Kew by W.Colenso were named by M.C.Cooke. The name was published by Colenso as Polyporus exiguis sp. nov., but no description was appended. Subsequently Cooke formally described it as Polystictus exiguis Cke.

Specific characters are the small size, laterally attached flabelliform pilei, white (when fresh) surface, irregular moderately sized pores, and small elliptical spores. Pilei of a few specimens resemble those of P. catervatus in that they are peziza-like, caespitose and attached by a prolongation of the vertex. Such may be separated by the larger more deeply coloured pores, entire dissepiments and elliptical spores.

Though superficially not apparent, the species belongs to the same section as P. anthracophilus, possessing a monomitic hyphal system, and similar radiately arranged parallel hyphae.

TYPE LOCALITY: Norswood, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

ARAUCARIACEAE. Agathis australis: Auckland, Waipoua Kauri Forest, 160 m; Puketi Forest, Bay of Islands; Parahaki, Whangarei, 140 m; Upper Piha Valley, 300 m; Anawhata Road, Waitakere Ranges, 300 m; Karekare, 120 m; Spragues Hill, Henderson Valley, 120 m; Otau, Hunua Ranges, 300 m. FAGACEAE. Nothofagus menziesii: Auckland, Lake Waikareiti Track, 930 m. PODOCARPACEAE. Dacrydium cupressinum: Wellington, Lake Papaitonga, 20 m. Westland, Hokitika Gorge. Phyllocladus trichomanoides: Auckland, Parahaki, Whangarei, 210 m. Podocarpus spicatus: Auckland, Waipoua Kauri Forest, 200 m; Te Whaiti, 600 m. UNKNOWN HOSTS. Auckland, Huia, 200 m. Wellington, Ohakune Track, Mt. Ruapehu, 750 m. New South Wales, Mt. Wilson (Lloyd 158 as Polyporus anebus). Victoria, Hawthorn; Mt. St Leonards; Wallaby Creek.

IN. KEW HERBARIUM: Collections are "N.Z., Colenso, b 13" type collection, filed under Polystictus exigis; "N.Z., Colenso, b 524" filed by Cooke under Polystictus sector; "N.Z., Colenso" filed under Polystictus drummondii; and "Vic., Gippsland, Webb" which Cooke placed under Polyporus fragilis; "N.Z., Wellington, T. Kirk, No. 31", under P. stipitarius.

Recognised by the small flabelliform pilei attached by small lateral stem-like bases, white surface when fresh drying from dingy white through tan or chestnut to umber, moderately sized irregular pores, small elliptical spores, and generative hyphae radiately arranged. Plants commonly grow upon sides or surfaces of fallen decayed logs, upright stems and not infrequently on charred wood, often among mosses. They may range in length from 2 to 15 mm. In a few specimens they are pezizaeform and attached by a narrow vertex, then resembling Tyromyces catervatus. From the latter these forms may be separated by the entire dissepiments and elliptical spores. The type collection was sent to Kew herbarium by Colenso and by Cooke named Polyporus exiguis, and this name was published by Colenso as - "P. exiguis sp. nov. A small semistipitate flabellate whitish fungus, of horizontal growth, among mosses, on the bark of old trees near their bases: wet woods ... near Norsewood, 1883, W.C." Two years later it was more formally described by Cooke under the name Polystictus exiguis Cke. If Colenso's description is regarded as valid, for the period, then the species may be cited as Tyromyces exiguis (Col.); if not, then it should be T. exiguis (Cke.) and the place of publication of the combination, this volume.

LOCALITY: Norsewood, Hawke's Bay.