Bazzania nitida (F.Weber) Grolle
Type: South Africa, Cape Prov., Cape of Good Hope, Thunberg (non vidi).
Type: South Africa, Cape Prov., Cape of Good Hope, Thunberg (non vidi).
Mastigobryum fugax Colenso, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 18: 247. 1886.
Type: New Zealand, Waipawa Co., near Norsewood, 1885, Colenso (non vidi).
Mastigobryum obtusatum Colenso, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 19: 287. 1887 (1886).
Type: New Zealand, Waipawa Co., near Norsewood, 1886, Colenso (non vidi).
Mastigobryum fissistipum Steph., Sp. Hepat. 3: 533. 1909.
[Fig. 100: 4, oil-bodies, p. 441; Fig. 101]
Plants small, prostrate, green to pale yellow-green to olive-green, the vitta often amber at least on dry leaves; plants when dry distinctly nitid and with leaves membranous; shoots to 1.1–1.2 mm wide. Branching rather frequently pseudo-dichotomously furcate, the branches of Frullania type, widely spreading, sporadically becoming flagelliform; branch half-leaf ± symmetric, ovate, undivided, nonvittate, tapering to a sharp apex (rarely bidentate); first branch underleaf 3(4)-lobed, transversely inserted on ventral-lateral side of juncture of main axis and branch, free and often distant from underleaf of main axis. Ventral-intercalary branches occasional, leafy and often becoming leading shoots; stoloniform branches sporadically present, rarely reverting to leafy branches. Stem cortical cells very thick-walled. Rhizoids from basal cells of underleaves of main shoot. Leaves alternate, horizontal, contiguous to weakly imbricate, much of stem exposed in dorsal aspect, widely spreading (ca. 90°), plane to moderately convex, the margins and especially the apex narrowly inflexed; leaves vittate, (365)400–530 µm wide × 600–900 µm long, strongly incubous, asymmetrically ovate; apex broadly rounded to often obliquely truncate, with 3 small, often obscure teeth, the teeth typically 2–3 cells wide at base, the entire tooth at times of only 1–2 cells, often not evident in dorsal view due to the strongly deflexed apex, the apex otherwise entire; dorsal margin strongly ampliate, distinctly and broadly arched, subauriculate, extending to middle of stem or somewhat beyond, entire, not decurrent; ventral margin nearly straight, entire, not decurrent. Vittae of leaves distinct, running parallel to and 3–5 cells within the ventral margin at midpoint of leaf, the vitta of 3–4 cell rows; cells of vitta 20–28 µm wide × 23–36 µm long, with large, bulging trigones; cells outside the vitta much smaller, 12–19 µm wide and long, with trigones large and bulging; surface smooth or faintly and indistinctly striolate. Oil-bodies present only in some distal cells of both margins, lacking in the marginal cells below, the oil-bodies lacking in many intramarginal cells but present and 2 per cell in some, the cells in several cell rows acroscopic to the vitta, typically 2 per cell, 2–2.5 × 3–4 µm, and gradually becoming larger toward vitta. Oil-bodies very pale grey, with a cloudy aspect, in vitta cells 2–3 per cell, blood platelet-like (discoid with rounded edges), homogeneous, smooth, but with several depressions and weak folds to lend similarity in texture to a potato, in all parts of vitta 8–9 × 12–13 µm when seen side on. Oil-bodies of non-vitta cells similar to those of the vitta except much smaller and sometimes fewer per cell (1–2). Non-vitta cells densely chlorophyllose, the chloroplasts tightly packed. Underleaves inconspicuous, about as wide as stem, membranous, free or narrowly connate to leaf on one side, appressed to the stem, distant, plane, subquadrate to cuneate, 4-lobed to ca. 0.5; lobes attenuate, 3–4 cells wide at base, entire, terminating in 2 laterally juxtaposed cells or at most a uniseriate row of 2 cells, the lobe summit often with an elongated slime papilla; lobes and distal sector of disc colorless, the cells elongate, moderately thick-walled, the cell walls darkening with age; cells in median basal sector small, isodiametric, thick-walled and densely chlorophyllose, sporadically giving rise to abundant rhizoids; disc margins entire; surface as in leaves.
Androecia on inconspicuous, short, determinate, tightly spicate, ventral-intercalary branches from leading shoots; bracts ventricose-cucullate to canaliculate, 2-lobed to ca. 0.2–0.3, the lobes acute, sometimes apiculate; dorsal margin of disc slightly dilated or with an acute lobule, the basal sector of dorsal margin entire but with a few slime papillae, the distal sector crenulate; antheridia 1 per bract, the stalk biseriate. Gynoecia on abbreviated ventral-intercalary branches issuing from main stem; bracts of innermost series much larger than leaves, erect and closely ensheathing the perianth, the bracts concave, ovate; apices with 4 long-attenuate lobes that terminate in a single cell or a uniseriate row of 3–4 cells, the lobes composed of ± regularly rectangular cells, the apical end of the marginal cells sometimes feebly diverging, the margins at times with a partially laterally free cell, the lobe margins thus finely and irregularly crenulate; lamina composed of ± regularly short-rectangular cells, the margin bordered by cells of variable shape, most only slightly longer than wide, a few long and narrow, the apical or free end of marginal cells at times divergent and forming a short projection or a tooth, the margin irregularly and sparingly to rather copiously crenate-denticulate, the teeth rarely composed of more than one cell; bracteole similar in size and form. Perianth prominent, straight to curved, fusiform, terete below, becoming somewhat inflated in median sector, the distal half pluriplicate and gradually narrowing to the contracted mouth, the mouth irregularly denticulate-dentate, the processes thin-walled and laterally free for varying lengths, at times half or all of cell laterally free; perianth 1(locally 2)-stratose in basal sector.
Seta seen only in collapsed state. Capsule wall 28–30 µm thick, of 3 layers; outer layer of cells with two-phase development, the longitudinal walls with sinuous, sheet-like thickenings and a few nodule-like swellings alternating with walls that are devoid of thickenings (or are sporadically locally thickened), the transverse walls devoid of thickenings or sporadically with an isolated swelling; innermost layer of cells readily becoming detached, equal to or thicker than intermediate layer, with ± tiered, narrowly and at times irregularly rectangular cells with semiannular bands common, rather wide, usually complete, rarely forked.
Spores and elaters not seen.
Distribution and Ecology : A pan-south-temperate species, occurring in New Zealand, South Africa, southern South America and Brazil. Within New Zealand: Stewart Island (530 m), South Island (0–1070 m), North Island (915–1100 m). Known from Fiordland, Otago, Canterbury, Westland, Western Nelson, Marlborough (Pelorus Valley), Southern North Island (Tararua Ra.), Volcanic Plateau, Gisborne (Wairoa), Taranaki and Auckland EPs. Apparently more common in the South Island than the North Island.
A species occurring at a variety of elevations in wet forests, it is typically found on organic substrates such as bark, tree buttresses, decayed stumps, humus over tree roots especially those of Metrosideros umbellata, logs and tree-fern trunks. Occasionally it is epiphytic, on trunks of trees such as Libocedrus bidwillii, Dacrycarpus dacrydioides and Weinmannia racemosa. It may occur on inorganic substrates such as in hollows and cave-like overhangs of cliffs and banks, where it may be a component of pendent sheets of bryophytes, and in such sites it is quite shade tolerant. The species often grows in loosely interwoven pure mats. Commonly associated species are Bazzania adnexa, Kurzia hippuroides, Leucobryum candidum, Psiloclada clandestina, Rhizogonium distichum, R. pennatum, Wijkia extenuata and Zoopsis argentea. Less commonly it can be found with Acromastigum anisostomum, A. colensoanum, Bazzania hochstetteri, Categonium nitens, Dicranoloma billardierei, D. robustum, Grammitis billardierei, Hymenophyllum revolutum, Lepidozia bisbifida, L. digitata, Leptotheca gaudichaudii, Rhaphidorrhynchium amoenum and Zoopsis matawaia.
On Stewart Island found at the summit area of Mt. Rocky where it occurred in a protected, sheltered pocket in mosaic communities of dense heath-forming shrubs to 3 m tall, penalpine herbs and dwarf heaths to 0.5 m tall, dominated by stunted Leptospermum scoparium and Dracophyllum and a ground tier including Empodisma minus.
Comments : Bazzania nitida is a very distinctive species, due to its strongly convex, “varnished” leaves, which are often dark olive-green, frequently with a sharply contrastingly colored, orange-tinged vitta. The ventral aspect of the plants is also highly characteristic, with underleaves membranous, appressed to the stem and 4-lobed to about half their length (Fig. 101: 6–9).
The name Bazzania nitida has now replaced the more familiar name B. convexa (Lindenb.) Trevis. (cf. Grolle, 1961d).
Lectotype plants of Mastigobryum fissistipum have teeth at the leaf apex obscure and observable only in ventral view. The underleaves are obcuneate and distally ca. 2× the stem width. A Colenso specimen (no. 1715) without locality at G is probably a syntype.
