Bazzania caudistipula Inoue & H. A. Mill.

Bazzania caudistipula (Steph.) Inoue & H.A.Mill. (Figs 7 A-E) Bulletin of the National Science Museum, Tokyo n.s. 8 (2): 141 (Inoue &Miller 1965). — Mastigobryum caudistipulum Steph., Bulletin de l’Herbier Boissier, série 2, 8 (12): 945 (Stephani 1908d). — Type: Fiji (Viti-Levu), Graeffe s.n. (holo-, G [G00066870] not seen). MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia • North Province, Hienghène, Tao falls; epiphytic, valley with rain forest and waterfall; 50 m; c. 12.IX.2001; F. Müller NC216 (DRE, duplicate seen) • Touho, Pombeï (Tiwaka valley); on bark, 230 m; 13.X.2016; Thouvenot NC3411 • Poindimié, Amoa valley, below Goro Até Mèkébo; on roots in mesophilous forest; 359 m; 12.X.2019; Thouvenot NC3160 • Tipwadabwé; on tree-fern trunk in wooded river bank; 244 m; 13.X.2019; Thouvenot NC3671; PC [PC0779828]. DISTRIBUTION IN NEW CALEDONIA. — Rare, hitherto known from a few collections collected in North Province, on barks and roots in lowland wet forests. TOTAL RANGE. — The Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Fiji, Samoa (Meagher 2010), Sumatra, (Siregar et al. 2018), New Caledonia. DESCRIPTION Plants Medium-sized, forming loose wefts, leaves and underleaves fragile; moist shoots 3-4 mm wide; stems 0.35 mm wide; pseudo-dichotomous terminal branching uncommon, ventral-intercalary flagelliform branches common, normal leavedbranches of ventral-intercalary origin abundant in some populations. Leaves Imbricate in lower parts of the shoots, contiguous in upper parts, deflexed when dry, complanate and spreading at right angle in wet condition, ovate-oblong, asymmetric but often slightly so, 1.35-2.00 mm long, 0.55-1.10 mm wide near bases, 0.50mm at apices, apex to base width ratio 1/2, length-width ratio 1.4-2.3; cuticle warty at least along the borders, margins sub-entire, at most unevenly crenulate, dorsal margins widely arched in basal mid-length, sub-straight in upper part, ventral ones sub-straight to slightly concave, narrowly rounded at bases; apices truncate, 2-3-fid, with strong acute lobes, triangular, typically 3-8 cells long, angular sinus acute to right-angled. Cell Areolation homogenous, cells oblong to elongate with thin walls and large bulging trigones often confluent, cells slowly increasing in size toward bases, median cells 15-25 µm wide, 25-45 µm long, marginal cells not differentiated; basal cells 25-40 µm wide, 50-65 µm long. Underleaves Erect to patent, transversally inserted on the stem by half their base width, the remainder of the width being free and auriculate, positioned close to the ventral leaf bases, underleaves slightly wider than long, 0.50-0.60 mm long, 0.60-0.85 mm wide, c. 3 × wider than the stem; underleaf in outline subquadrate rounded, lobate-dentate all around, basal margins often appendiculate-laciniate, lobes and teeth irregular, mostly triangular, blunt or acute; cells elongate, with thin walls and medium bulging trigones, the longer walls usually with intermediate thickenings. Gynoecia Not seen (description from Meagher 2010) terminal on short ventral-intercalary leafless branches; outer bracts c. 1 mm long, triangular, margins ciliate; inner bracts c. 2 mm long, margins strongly concave, densely ciliate. Androecia In short ventral-intercalary spikes, c. 1.5-2 mm long, oblong in outline, dorsally (adaxially) deeply furrowed, with c. four pairs of monandrous bracts closely imbricate; bracts involute, ovoid in outline, 0.85-1.05 mm long, 0.5 mm in transverse diameter, shortly bifid, bract margins dentate with sharp teeth and a few short cilia, bract margins appendiculate at base; bracteoles ovate to shortly lanceolate, 0.75-0.80 mm long, 0.30-0.45 mm wide, margins sharply dentate (Description after the New Caledonian specimens). NOTES Bazzaniacaudistipula iswellcharacterizedbytheunderleafshape,that makesitdistinctivefrom Bazzaniaparisii (Steph.)N.Kitag.intheNew Caledonian context.A few male shoots were found in a New Caledonian specimen and allow androecia to be described for the first time.