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Go to the NZFungi website for more indepth information on Podoscypha thozetii. Podoscypha thozetii

Synonyms

Stereum thozetii

Biostatus

Absent from region

Article: Cunningham, G.H. (1963). The Thelephoraceae of Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Bulletin 145: 359 p. Wellington:.
Description: Hymenophore annual, coriaceous, commonly solitary. Pilei infundibuliform, 10-15 mm radius, 10-15 mm tall; pileus surface concentrically zoned with colour bands of bay, chestnut or tobaccobrown, sometimes grooved slightly, glabrous or pruinose; margin acute, usually incurved, pruinose, concolorous, entire. Stems to 5 x 2 mm, smooth, pallid brown. Context wood colour, 200-350 µm thick, without a cortex or abhymenial hairs, of densely arranged parallel hyphae; skeletal hyphae to 4 µm diameter, walls 1-1.5 µm thick; generative hyphae 2-2.5 µm diameter, walls 0.2 µmthick, with clamp connections. Gloeocystidia arising in the base of the subhymenium and traversing the hymenial layer, flexuous-cylindrical, 48-120 x 6-10 µm; sometimes inflated at bases. Hymenial layer to 120 µm deep, a dense palisade of basidia, paraphyses, and gloeocystidia. Basidia subclavate or subcylindrical, 22-30 x 4.5-6 µm bearing 4 spores; sterigmata slender, erect, to 4 µm long. Paraphyses subclavate, 12-25 x 4-4.5 µm. Spores broadly elliptical, apiculate, 7-9 x 4.5-6 µm, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.1 µm thick.

Habitat: HABITAT: Usually solitary on the ground among grass.

Distribution: DISTRIBUTION: Australia, South Africa.

Notes: Separated from other species with central stems and dimitic hyphal systems by the large spores, absence of a coloured cortex, and glabrous exterior. Only the type has been recognised from this region, although there is a second collection in Kew herbarium ex "Australia, R. Brown" filed under the cover of S. nitidulum which resembles the type but is sterile. The description has been drawn from the type, which consists of three specimens. Lloyd (1923, p. 1226) recorded the species from Tasmania. Part of this collection, now in the herbarium of J. B. Cleland, when examined was found to consist of specimens of S. elegans.