Dacrydium cupressinum Sol. Auckland: Glen Esk Valley, Piha, May, 1951, J.M. Dingley, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 11273. Unknown Host. Auckland: Mohaka Valley, Kaimanawa Ranges, 2,000ft., May, 1953, J.M. Dingley.

Hymenophore annual, membranous, adnate, effused, forming linear areas to 10 x 4 cm.; surface slightly farinose, cream, even, not creviced; margin thinning out, arachnoid, white, adnate. Context white, 60-80 µ thick, composed of a narrow base of parallel hyphae, and an intermediate layer of upright hyphae which become compact and cemented when old; generative hyphae 3-4 µ diameter, naked, wall 0.2 µ thick, hyaline, branched, septate, with clamp connections. Hymenial layer 45-60 µ deep, of basidia, paraphyses and gloeocystidia. Basidia subclavate, 30-70 x 8-10 µ, 2-4-spored; sterigmata slender, 6-8 µ long. Paraphyses subclavate, much smaller than the basidia. Gloeocystidia arising from the base of the context, crowded, projecting to 30 µ, or not, flexuous-cylindrical or a few subclavate, 50-96 x 8-12 µ, wall 1 µ thick. Spores globose or subglobose, 7-10 x 7-9 µ, wall finely sparsely verruculose, to 1 µ thick, non-amyloid.

DISTRIBUTION. New Zealand.

HABITAT. Effused on decorticated wood.

Hymenophorum membranaceum, adnatum, effusum, superficie cremea, leviter pruinosa, non rimosa. Hyphae contextus fibulatae, 3-4 µ diam., nudae. Basidia 30-70 x 8-10 µ, 2-4 sporis. Gloeocystidia cylindricalia, interdum subclavata, 50-96 x 8-12 µ. Sporae globosae vel subglobosae, 7-10 x 7-9 µ, tenuiter raro verruculosae, hyalinae.

Differentiated by the subglobose or globose verruculose spores, flexuous-cylindrical abundant gloeocystidia, scanty context and non-creviced, membranous, cream hymenophore. Verruculae of the spores are scanty, evenly spaced, broad at the base, and about 1 µ long. Gloeocystidia arise from the base of the context, singly or sometimes in groups when their bases may be fused to form small islands of pseudoparenchyma.
Judging from the description published by Bourdot & Galzin (1928, p. 260) their subspecies Gloeocystidium analogum is similar. Since authentic specimens have not been examined they are regarded as distinct, especially as Bourdot & Galzin stated their species resembled exteriorly and in spore form Corticiumm confluens, whereas our plant does not. Spores especially differ in being nearly spherical, with thick definitely echinulate walls.

Auckland: Glen Esk Valley, Piha, May, 1951, J.M. Dingley, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 11273.

Gloeocystidia long cylindrical, obtuse, originating low in the subiculum and sometimes curving downward from the parallel basal layer (pseudocystidia), 40-120 X 5-11 µm. Simple hyphidia present, 2.5-3.5 µm wide. Spores hyaline, thick-walled, globose to broadly ellipsoid, 7.5-9(-9.5) X 7-8 µm, waited to aculeolate, cyanophilous, not amyloid.

The species is Hypochnicium analogum (Bourd. & Galz.) J. Erikss., as was already more or less suspected by Cunningham (1963).