Bazzania franciana (Steph.) N.Kitag.

Thouvenot, Louis, 2024, A revision of the genus Bazzania Gray (Lepidoziaceae, Marchantiophyta) in New Caledonia with a review of the type specimens, Cryptogamie, Bryologie 20 (6), pp. 117-154 : 134-136

Bazzania franciana (Steph.) N.Kitag.

( Figs 1D ; 9 )

Journal of the Hattori Botanical Laboratory 36: 446 (Kitagawa1972 [1973]). — Mastigobryum francianum Steph. , Species Hepaticarum 6: 463 ( Stephani 1924). — Type: New Caledonia, Franc (lecto-, designated here fide Kitagawa (1970, in sched.), G[“in monte Koghis, 450 m ”, Franc 20 (Herb. Thériot), G00066893]!).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia • North Province, Hienghène ; XI.1909; Etesse s.n. (herbarium E. G. Paris as Mastigobryum motelayi ; REN [ REN000233 ]) • Mt Panié ; epiphyte in cloud forest on mica schist bedrock; c. 1400 m; 9.X.2012; Thouvenot NC 2561, NC3464 • Poya, Mt Aoupinié ; on rock in wet forest; 700 m; 16.XII.2015; Metoyer MET085 (author’s herbarium) • Poindimié, Amoa valley, Tipwadabwé ; on dead wood on river side, on volcano-sedimentary bedrock; 106 m; 13.X.2019; Thouvenot NC 2653 • South Province, Mont-Dore, Mouirange Pass ; on dead wood in lowland forest; 284 m; 1. VI.2015; Metoyer MET062 (author’s herbarium) • Dumbéa, Mts Koghis, South eastern ridge of Mt Bouo ; on dead wood in mountain mesophile forest; c. 830 m; 18.XI.1950; Hürlimann 2094 • Boulouparis, foot hill of Mt Dent de St Vincent ; VII.1909; Le Rat s.n. ( PC) • Sarraméa, Dogny ; along the path to the plateau, volcano-sedimentary bedrock; 600 m; 13.IV.2013; Coulerie COU50 (author’s herbarium) • Yaté, Kiki swamp; on the ground in lowland forest; VI.2015; Metoyer MET065 (author’s herbarium) .

DISTRIBUTION IN NEW CALEDONIA. — Common on grounds, rocks and dead wood in both provinces of Grande Terre, collected at any elevation.

TOTAL RANGE. — Australia ( Meagher 2019) and New Caledonia.

DESCRIPTION

Plants

Medium,rigid,creeping in loose or dense wefts or mixed with other bryophytes, shoots 2-3 mm wide, terminal branching common, pseudo-dichotomous, ventral-intercalary branches flagelliform.

Leaves

Imbricate, obliquely spreading, convex when moist, deflexed when dry, asymmetrically ovate-oblong, slightly falcate if any, (1.00-)1.20-1.70(-2.00) mm long, 0.60-0.90(-1.20) mm

wide near bases, length to width ratio (1.4-)1.5-1.9; dorsal margins widely arched in lower half and nearly straight in upper part, ventral margins nearly straight or slightly concave in upper half, shortly rounded at base, both margins subentire or sparingly crenulate below apices; leaf apices obliquely truncate to widely triangular, shortly 3-dentate, teeth small and triangular, separated by large flat or lunate sinus.

Leaf cells

Homogeneous but progressively increasing in size from margins to central bases, without forming a clear subvitta; median cells isodiametric to oblong, 15-25 µm wide, 15-38 µm long, thin- to firm-walled with small trigones; marginal cells smaller in 1-2 rows; basal cells larger with broad bulging trigones, 25-30 µm wide, 25-50 µm long; up to 50 µm wide, 75 µm long at insertion.

Underleaves

Transversely inserted, positioned close to the leaf bases and usually connate on both sides, usually recurved, rounded-subquadrate, somewhat broader than long, 0.50-1.00 mm wide, 0.35-0.90 mm long, 1.5-2.5 times wider than the stem; lateral margins arched, sometimes with 2-3 rounded lobules, apical margins repand to superficially lobulate, with widely rounded lobules, rarely mixed with sharp-edged ones; hyaline border conspicuous, typically with 2-6 rows of thin-walled cells or more; inner cells oblong to rectangular, moderately thick-walled with small trigones (Description after type and non-type specimens).

NOTES

Bazzania franciana is distinctive by: 1) leaves ovate-oblong shortly 3-dentate; 2) leaf lateral margins subentire; 3) a median area of thin- to firm-walled cells with small trigones gradually merging in a central band of larger cells and trigones without forming a clear subvitta; and 4) underleaves rounded-subquadrate, recurved, connate to the leaves on both sides, at most a little wider than long, with a conspicuous hyaline border and apical margins not dentate. Among the group of species close to B. franciana , B. paucidens (Steph.) H.A.Mill. can be separated from by: 1) ovate leaves, mostly L/W <1.6; 2) median cells with large bulging trigones; 3) upper leaf margins denticulate; and 4) narrower hyaline margin. Bazzania adnexa is separated by its larger leaf lobes and wider underleaves with dentate apices.

Figures

FIG. 1. — Leaves and underleaves drawn at the same scale from type specimens of New Caledonian Bazzania Gray species: A, Mastigobryum leratii Beauverd ex Steph.; A1, underleaf; A2, leaf (both from isotype REN000232); A3, leaf (lectotype G00067047); B, M. bescherellei (Steph.) Steph. (lectotype G00066912); B1, B4, underleaves;B2, B3, leaves;C, M.consociatum Steph.(syntype PC0101765); C1, C2, underleaves;C3, leaf;D, M.francanumSteph.(lectotype G00066893); D1, D2, D5, leaves; D3, D4, underleaves; E, M. dognyense Steph. (lectotype G0011718); E1, leaf; E2, E3, underleaves; F, M. incrassatum Steph. (isolectotype PC0101851); F1, F2, underleaves; F3, F4, leaves; G, M. marginatum Steph. (lectotype G00066911); G1, leaf; G2, underleaf; H, M. paucidens Steph. (holotype G00066787); H1, leaf; H2, underleaf; I, M. quadratum Steph. (lectotype G00066891); I1, leaf; I2, I3, underleaves. Scale bar: 200 µm.

FIG. 9. — Bazzania franciana (Steph.) N.Kitag.: A, D, F, leaves; B, G, underleaves;C, underleaf margin; E, leaf base;H, median leaf cells; I, basal leaf cells all from Thouvenot NC3464. Scale bars: A, B, D, F, G, 200 µm; C, E, 100 µm; H, I, 20 µm.