Thanks for your input MJ but your post above totally lacks any clarity. In fact it is so bad that it gives me neuralgia. Thanks but no thanks.
To wit:- First off you state purps as being only known from three countries in the world, immediatly mentioning Australia,Argentina and Germany and then in a quote say that purps was first collected in Chile. Well thats four countries.
Then there is "first collected in Chile" (by whom,when?) and "first identified from Australia".
From Rees I get "first described from tree fern stems of unknown origin in Kew Gardens (Cooke 1889). I might be a bit slow but by now am totally confused about where first. Perhaps we could line these up like soldiers in chronological order along with dates for clarity.
In addition the British Database of World Flora and Fauna
http://www.british-towns.net/nature/...GetLSID=291868 lists G.purpuratus as UK native so thats 5 countries now.
Marek Snowarski
www.grzyby.pl/gatunki/Gymnopilus_purpuratus.htm has it in Poland. There is also a Polish forum thread where Marek discuses this find. We're now up to six.
Lastly there is a G.purpuratus find reported in New Zealand by Landcare Research. So we're now at seven countries.
Quote: "It seems that this was introduced (into Germany) with grain from Argentina used for pig forage." End Quote.
I have to regard this proposed introduction as purely speculative rather than something established. Although some authorities have regarded the Kew Gardens find and the New Zealand find as exotic, I have to also regard the exoticness in these two cases as also speculative.
I much respect the fine work you have done in mycology MJ but this is substanded.