MYRTACEAE. Eucalyptus spp.: New South Wales, Moona, Walcha (Type collection, herb. Kew); Darling Downs, No. 1095, filed under Hydnum delicatulum (herb. Kew).

Hymenophore pileate, annual, ceraceous. Pilei cupulate or disciform, attached by a narrow base, elliptical or orbicular, 1-2 mm diameter, solitary or crowded; pileus exterior tomentose, ferruginous above, black below; hymenial surface plane or concave, pallid cream or tan, not creviced. Context tan, to 600 µm thick, of erect hyphae arising from a coloured cortex, pierced by fascicles and embedding masses of crystals; cortex to 130 µm thick, of densely intertwined ferruginous hyphae which are olivaceous below; walls coated with brown mucilage granules; generative hyphae 4-6 µm diameter, walls 0.25 µm thick, hyaline, without clamp connections. Fascicles arising from the base and projecting to 80 µm, to 50 µm diameter, composed of 20-80 hyphae 4-6 µm diameter, closely compacted, walls ferruginous, 1.5-2 µm thick, coated with coloured mucilage granules. Hymenial layer to 120 µm deep, a dense palisade of basidia and paraphyses. Basidia subclavate, 55-72 x 7-9 µm, bearing 4 spores; sterigmata erect, slender, to 6 µm long. Paraphyses cylindrical, some with acute apices, 40-65 x 6-7 µm. Spores narrowly obovate or suballantoid, with rounded apices and acuminate bases, apiculate, 20-24 x 8-10 µm, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.2 µm thick.

DISTRIBUTION: Australia.

HABITAT: Crowded on bark of dead branches.

In appearance fructifications resemble small and crowded apothecia of a discomycete. The species was placed under Veluticeps by Burt because of the conspicuous brown fascicles and basidia, but could well be made the type of a separate genus, since in other features it has little in common with the type species of Veluticeps. Fascicles project to 80 µm, arise in the base of the context, are composed of many hyphae compacted together, with walls coloured and encrusted with granules of brown mucilage. They may be crowded, but are usually scattered, only half a dozen or so being present in a median section. Basidia are crowded in the compact hymenium and irregular in shape and size. The prominent cortex is composed of densely compacted, loosely intertwined hyphae similar to generative hyphae of the context, but with walls thickened and coloured, brown in the upper part, olivaceous below.

TYPE LOCALITY: Walcha, New South Wales, Australia.