Bazzania loricata (Reinw., Blume & Nees) Trevis.

(Figs 11 A-E)

Memorie del Reale Istituto Lombardo de Scienze e Lettere, serie 3, Classe di Scienze Mattematiche e Naturali 4: 414 (Trevisan 1877). — Jungermannia loricata Reinw., Blume & Nees, Nova Acta Physico-Medica Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino-Carolinae Naturae Curiosorum 12: 233 (Reinwardt et al. 1824).

— Type: Java, Blume s.n. (iso-, S [B14700] not seen).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia • North Province, Hienghène, Mt Panié; along the hiking trail from the road RPN3 to the summit; epiphytic in very wet rainforest; 900 m; c. 13.IX.2001; F. Müller NC153 (DR).

Malaysia • Pahang, Gunong Uli Kali; mountain top (5500 ft); upper montane ericaceous forest; 21.IV.1972; Gillis Een s.n.; PC [PC0793176].

Java • Junghuhn; s.d. (“Gottsche” handwritten on the label); PC [PC0793174] .

DISTRIBUTION IN NEW CALEDONIA. — Hitherto known from a single collection in North Province. Another New Caledonian specimen, labelled Mastigobryum loricatum, from the Vieillard’s Herbarium [PC0793177] is Bazzania bernieri .

TOTAL RANGE. — New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Java, Thailand, Malaysia, Malacca, Sumatra, Borneo (?), Philippines (Meagher 2015), New Caledonia.

DESCRIPTION

Plants

Large, rigid, fragile; moist shoots 4-5 mm wide when flattened, stems 0.50 mm wide; terminal branching common, remote, with long pseudo-dichotomous branches, ventral-intercalary branches flagelliform.

Leaves

Strongly imbricate with auriculate dorsal bases overlaying the stem, deflexed when moist, strongly incurved when dry so that shoots seem tube-like, leaves spreading at right angle when moist and flattened, 2.20-2.60 mm long, 1.70-2.10 mm wide, very asymmetrically ovate-cordate, length to width ratio 1.2-1.4; cuticle smooth, margins denticulate to serrulate by the protrusion of mammillose marginal cells, dorsal margins auriculate, broadly expanded and arched, ventral ones convex, appendiculate at bases, basal appendage semi-circular, bent down and covering the basal border of the corresponding underleaf; apices rounded, denticulate with or without small additional teeth, 1-2-celled.

Cells

Homogenous, gradually longer toward bases, median cells oval-oblong, 25-30 µm wide, 30-50 µm long, with thin walls and large bulging trigones sometimes confluent; marginal cells narrower, oval to lanceolate; basal cells elongate, 25-50 µm wide, 40-80 µm long, thin-walled, with huge trigones often confluent.

Underleaves

Erect, somewhat laterally recurved, positioned near the leaf bases and free on both sides, transversally inserted, large, reniform, entire, 0.75-0.85 mm long, 1.10-1.25 mm wide, about 3 times wider than the stem; apices entire or eroded; bordered by 2-3(-4) files of hyaline cells, chlorophyllous cells as for the leaves (Description after the Malayan specimen [PC0793176] det. Grolle).

NOTES

This species, widespread in tropical Asia and Australia, stands out among other New Caledonian species by: 1) its large size (leaves 2.20-2.60 mm long); 2) strongly asymmetrical leaf shape; and 3) sub-entire leaf and underleaf apices. It could be confused with the New Caledonian endemic B. bernieri, that is a smaller species (leaves 1.5-2.0 mm long) with less asymmetrical leaves which are never appendiculate, less sharply serrate, with median leaf cells thick-walled and trigones small or none.