Bazzania parisii N. Kitag.

Bazzania parisii (Steph.) N.Kitag. (Figs 11 F-K) Journal of the Hattori Botanical Laboratory 47: 135 (Kitagawa 1980). — Mastigobryum parisii Steph., Bulletin de l’Herbier Boissier, série 2, 8 (10): 769 (Stephani 1908b). — Type: New Caledonia, Le Rat s.n.; (holo-, G [G00066889]; iso-, PC [PC0101878]!). MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia • South Province, Yaté, c. Goro mine; soil on rock in forest in ultramafic massif; 200-310 m; 20.III.2016; Métoyer MET109A • Païta, Dzumac massif; on bark, dry mountain forest in ultramafic massif; 915 m; 18.IX.2008; Thouvenot NC1715. DISTRIBUTION IN NEW CALEDONIA. — Only collected in South Province, in the large southern ultramafic massif, in bush and mountain forest, in dry to wet conditions. TOTAL RANGE. — Australia (Meagher 2010), New Caledonia. DESCRIPTION Plants Small, in dense wefts, relatively rigid for the size; moist shoots around 1.5 mm wide; stems 0.3 mm wide; terminal branching common, pseudo-dichotomous, ventral-intercalary branches mostly flagelliform, rarely normal leaved. Leaves Imbricate, deflexed when dry, sub-complanate in wet condition, slightly convex, spreading at right angle, shortly ovate-oblong, 0.70-1.10 mm long, 0.50-0.70 mm wide near bases, 0.30-0.40 mm at apices, length-width ratio 1.4-1.7; cuticle smooth, margins sub-entire, the dorsal margins widely arched, the ventral ones sub-straight to slightly concave; apices obliquely truncate, 2-3-fid, with lobes triangular, acute, usually 3-4 cells long. Cells Relatively small in intramarginal band and sub-apical region, rounded to oblong, 12-20 µm wide, 12-28 µm long; cells conspicuously longer and wider in most of the leaf blade, rounded rectangular 20-40 µm wide, 30-65 µm long, with thin walls and large to huge trigones. Underleaves Transversally inserted, positioned close to the leaf bases and widely connate on both sides, recurved, patent to spreading, roundly cuneate, transversally rectangular, rarely quadrate, up to 2 times broader than long, 0.30-0.45 mm long, 0.45- 0.70 mm wide, 2-3 times wider than the stem; lateral margins straight to convex, sometimes with a small acute tooth, apex transversally truncate, from repand with a few sharp teeth, 1(-2) cells high, scattered along the apical margin, to unevenly dissected in wide lobules, acute or not; cells oblong to elongate, with large trigones often confluent, inconsistently with 1(-2) marginal row of thin-walled hyaline cells (Description after the isotype and New Caledonian specimens). NOTES Bazzania parisii is outstanding in the New Caledonian context of the genus in being a small pretty plant with: 1) leaves relatively compact, shortly ovate-oblong; 2) leaf apices conspicuously trifid, better seen when moist and complanate; 3) underleaves recurved, transversely rectangular; 4) underleaf apices transversely straight or more or less deeply dissected into wide lobules, the apical margin remotely and sharply toothed; and 5) underleaf apices usually bordered by 1(-2) row of thin-walled hyaline cells. Meagher (2010) reported Papua New Guinea in the range of Bazzania parisii. However, I am unaware of any specimen from this country. The only mention of this species in a paper dealing with this country is from Kitagawa (1980) who mentioned it only for comparison with B. morokensis (Steph.) Grolle (1968). In this instance, he published the new combination with Bazzania as a generic name, but he did not claim its presence in Papua New Guinea. Furthermore, the GBIF data base (accessed in November 2024) only contains New Caledonian localities.