Singer R, Smith AH. 1960. Studies on secotiaceous fungi. IX. The astrogastraceous series. Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club 21: 20.
Zelleromyces ravenelii (B. & C.) Singer & Smith comb. nov. Octaviania stephensii var. ravenelii Berk. & Curt. in Tulasne, Fung. Hypog. xvii. 1851. Hydnangium stephensii var. ravenelii Berkeley, Grevillea 2:33. 1873. Octavania ravenelii Lloyd, Myc. Notes 67:1140. 1922. Arcangeliella ravenelii (B. & C.) Dodge, Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 18:463. 1931.
Gastrocarps 25-40 mm in diameter, subspherical to pyriform, drying light fawn to nearly pallid; sterile base not prominent; columella slender, percurrent; with laticiferous ducts which exude a white aromatic latex
Spores 12-16(17) µm, globose or nearly so, ornamented, blackish violet under oil-immersion in Melzer's reagent because of a heavy ornamentation in the form of a small-meshed reticulum of ridges about 1 µm wide connected by finer amyloid lines or chains of granules, main ridges 1-1.5 µm high and secondaries about 0.25 µm high; sterigmal appendage inconspicuous.
Hymenium. Basidia 2-spored, a few 1-spored with an elongated sterigma or intermediate (one long and one aborted), basidia 36-45 x 10-13 µm sterigmata on two-spored basidia 9-12 µm long and 2 µm wide at base, conic. Basidioles numerous. Cystidia 48-60 x 10-15 µm, clavate with an apical mucro but mostly larger than 1-spored basidia.
Hyphal layers. Subhymenium cellular but not from sphaerocysts, merely of short cells more or less isodiametric because of numerous cross walls; hyphae of the tramal plates interwoven and hyaline with scattered sphaerocysts. Peridium a thick (about 200 µm) layer of hyaline subgelatinous hyphae 4-11 µm in diam. with laticiferous hyphae interspersed, covering the surface sparsely are small dermatocystidia 18-26 x 3-7 µm, these are irregular in outline. Clamp connections absent.