Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Direction: Agaricales
Family: Marasmiaceae
Genus: Chaetocalathus
Species: C. cocciformis
Scientific name: Chaetocalathus cocciformis
Synonyms: Dendrosarcus cocciformis, Pleurotus cocciformis, Agaricus cocciformis.
Chaetocalathus cocciformis is an unusual indigenous fungus, not collected very often, and restricted to Vitex lucens (Puriri). It is closely related to the genera Crinipellis and especially Moniliophthora. M. pernicosa is the serious 'witches broom' disease of Cocoa.
It is described as scattered, minute, 3-5 mm. across, sessile, laterally attached, at first cup-shaped, then with the hymenium downwards; pileus covered with clusters of tawny thick-walled hairs arranged in fascicles. The gills rather close together, narrow, hairy, buff.
Photos below are of a colony of Chaetocalathus cocciformis on a trunk of a living Vitex lucens (Puriri) at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth.
The underside showing the gills. There is a 2mm larva of an insect of the Genus Holopsis.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
