ARALIACEAE. Neopanax colensoi: Auckland, Mamaku Forest, 600 m.

Hymenophore annual, pelliculose, adherent, effused forming irregular linear areas to 20 x 5 cm, with a few linear outlying islands; hymenial surface white or bluish-white when fresh, even, not creviced; margin thinning out, arachnoid, white, adherent. Context 30-50 p. thick, white, basal layer a narrow zone of parallel hyphae, collapsed and inconspicuous when old, intermediate layer wanting; generative hyphae 3-3^.5 µm diameter, walls 0.1 µm thick, naked, without clamp connections. Hymenial layer to 25 µm deep, a close palisade of basidia and paraphyses. Basidia obovate or subclavate, 10-15 x 6-7.5 µm, bearing 2-4 spores; sterigmata slightly arcuate, stout, to 7 µm long. Paraphyses subclavate or obovate, 8-11 x 5-6 µm. Spores pyriform, or obovate with prominent apiculi, 6-7.5 x 4.5-5.5 µm, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.1 µm thick; tending to adhere in fours.

DISTRIBUTION: North America, New Zealand.

HABITAT: Effused on bark of dead stems.

Specimens closely resemble the type description and figure of C. permodicum. Diagnostic features are the pyriform spores, which are more or less subglobose with long and conspicuous, persistent apiculi, context reduced to a narrow basal layer of parallel cemented and partly gelatinised hyphae, and absence of clamp connections. Fructifications are thin and inconspicuous, bluish-white, somewhat resembling hoar frost when fresh.

TYPE LOCALITY: Ontario, Canada.