Landcare Research - Manaaki Whenua

Landcare-Research -Manaaki Whenua

Polyporus septosporus P.K.Buchanan & Ryvarden

<em>Polyporus septosporus</em> P.K.Buchanan & Ryvarden

septate-spored polypore

General status: Native but not endemic. Also occurs in Australia - at least 2 herbarium specimens (1 each from Tasmania and Victoria) extant but status there unknown.

Population: probably <250 mature individuals (only 3 NZ collections known after decades of NZ collecting of polypore fungi). Area unknown. Unknown susceptibility to population fluctuations. Not known whether subpopulations exist

Decline: total population unknown. Decline probably due to clearing of forested land for farming

Distribution: Cuurently known from Auckland and Bay of Plenty.

Taxonomy: Polyporus septosporus P.K.Buchanan & Ryvarden, N.Z. J. Bot. 36: 224, 1998.
Polyporus squamosus (Huds.: Fr.) Fr., sensu Colenso, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 23: 393, 1891.
Polyporus udus Jungh., sensu G.Cunn., N.Z. DSIR Pl. Dis. Div. Bull. 81: 19, 1949.
Tyromyces udus (Jungh.) G.Cunn., sensu G.Cunn., NZ DSIR Bull. 164: 133, 1965.

This polypore wood decay fungus was recently described based on earlier misidentified collections.It is known only from dried herbarium collections; there are no living fungal cultures. It is one of only two species among the thousand (plus) polypore fungi internationally to have septate (multicelled) spores. The only other species with multicelled spores was also recorded from New Zealand.