A new Acanthocoleus R.M. Schust. species is described from the afroalpine belt of Mount Elgon, Uganda. Acanthocoleus elgonensis Gyarmati et Pócs is distinguished from the related A. madagascariensis (Steph.) Kruijt by stem, leaf lobule and underleaf structure, pigmentation of cell walls and finally by the shape of female bracts.

The genus Plagiochasma Lehm, et Lindenb. in Thailand is reviewed, based on herbarium specimens and especially on recently collections. The genus is reported for the first time from Thailand. Two species are recognized, namely P. appendiculatum Lehm, et Lindenb. and P. cordatum Lehm, et Lindenb. Descriptions, illustrations, and a key to species are provided.

The rocky outcrops are indeed islands amidst a “sea” of soil and thus their floristic composition and species diversity are influenced by stochasticity. Our discovery was settled to regional level, mainly from the Mantel tests (rM = 0.41, p = 0.01) and partial Mantel (rM = 0.41, p = 0.03), significant when contrasting the floristic x geographical distances and floristic x geographical distances with environment distance weighted, respectively. At the local level, clustering by Group mean (UPGMA) did not show a general pattern for the geographical distance, suggesting that in outcrops stochastic processes are the major actors at the regional scale while the local level need to be more intensely studied in order to reach better conclusions.

Effect of the forest gap on the physiology of forest-floor plants remains poorly understood. The present work explored the responses of a moss, Polytrichastrum formosum (PF), and a co-occurring fern, Parathelypteris nipponica (PN), to four treatments (control and three gap creations with size at 74 m², 109 m² and 196 m² three replicates each treatment) in a 30-year-old spruce (Picea asperata) plantation forest according to the levels and components of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC). Our study revealed that PF significantly presented higher NSC levels at gaps than at the control. But the concentrations of starch and NSC for PN were lower at those gaps than at the control. The result confirmed the shade-tolerant moss PF can benefit from the varied environmental conditions after gap creation. In contrast, the disturbance might inhibit the photosynthesis of PN or increase its NSC translocation rate from source to sink organs. In summary, PF and PN had distinct responses of NSC levels to the gap formation for their different eco-physiological characteristics.

The moss Rhodobryum ontariense tea has been claimed by Traditional Chinese medicine for its beneficial effects in the treatment of wide range of cardiovascular diseases including hypertension. The antiradical activity of R. ontariense tea (i.e. its lyophilised water extract) was evaluated by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy/against superoxide anion (•O₂^-), nitric-oxide (•NO), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (•DPPH), carbon-dioxide anion (•CO₂^-) and methoxy (•CH₂OH) radicals/ and fluorescence spectroscopy/against hydroxyl (•OH) radicals/ in in vitro conditions. It reduced the production of majority of radical species tested, but in a varying degree. The most activity was observed against •OH, •DPPH and •CO₂^- radicals (95 ± 10%, 78 ± 4% and 67 ± 5%, respectively). In addition, the extract was shown to be active against •CH₂OH and •NO radicals (55 ± 8% and 45 ± 8%, respectively). On the contrary, no any antiradical activity was observed against •O₂^- radicals. According to the experimental data obtained, R. ontariense tea can be considered as a promising resource of natural products with antiradical activity and may be of some interest to research in heart disease.

We investigated moss flora distribution and their relationship to substrates of a semi-arid environment in Cankiri, northwest Turkey. Moss samples were taken from soil surfaces, rock, and tree barks. Soil samples were taken from underneath mosses at 17 sites and soil texture, CaCO₃, pH, electrical conductivity, and soil organic matter were measured. Rock samples were collected from 15 different rock types and some mosses were collected from the oak barks. Identification of the moss specimens revealed the presence of 58 taxa belonging to 23 genera and 10 families — three species included in the Red Data Book of European Bryophytes. The relationship between moss occurrence patterns and terrestrial variables was evaluated by multiple linear regression analysis. No significant relationship could be established between Syntrichia ruralis and any of the studied terrestrial variables. Silt content correlated to the greatest number of moss taxa while pH could correlate with only one taxon. Grimmia trichophylla and Syntrichia ruralis were the most abundant species within the collected mosses and Tortula revolvens and Ceratodon purpureus were specific to calcareous soils in the study area.

Riella (Riellaceae, Sphaerocarpales) is a genus of aquatic liverworts with disjunct range in areas of Mediterranean-type climates. Riella has been traditionally subdivided into two subgenera, subgenus Riella, whose plants show smooth or papillose female involucres and Trabutiella, whose plants show winged female involucres. To date only three species of Riella are known in France, all belonging to subgenus Riella. During the course of a study of the plant diversity of temporary brackish ponds in the Camargue area (Southern France), soil sediments were collected from 10 localities and cultivated in the laboratory. From cultures of five of these localities emerged dioicous plants of Riella showing winged female involucres that unambiguously assigned them to subgenus Trabutiella. The study of those specimens with Light and Scanning Electron Microscopy allowed us to identify them as R. cossoniana var. cossoniana. Fresh materials allowed for detailed morphological analyses on these new French materials which were fully described and illustrated. These findings represent the first report of a species belonging to subgenus Trabutiella from France and the second European country where R. cossoniana is reported. Four nearby populations occur within the perimeter of the Tour du Valat Regional Natural Reserve, and another in the industrial polygon of the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille.

Anthoceros punctatus L. and Jungermannia borealis Damsh. et Váňa have been erroneously reported from Romania and are hereby rejected from the bryophyte checklist of Romania, until new reports. The presence in Romania of Anthoceros agrestis Paton, Cephaloziella massalongi (Spruce) Müll. Frib., Cephaloziella spinigera (Lindb.) Warnst., Marsupella apiculata Schiffn., Scapania cuspiduligera (Nees) Müll. Frib and Scapania praetervisa Meyl. is confirmed, and is commented for Nardia breidleri (Limpr.) Lindb.

One of the most famous incense juniper (Juniperus thurifera L.) forest of western Alps, Saint-Crépin site, has been floristically surveyed focusing on corticolous assemblages. New data regarding the occurrence of Didymodon johansenii (R.S.Williams) H.A.Crum, a species newly recorded for France, Pseudoleskeella tectorum (Funck ex Brid.) Kindb. ex Broth., Orthotrichum crenulatum Mitt, and Orthotrichum vittii F.Lara, Garilleti et Mazimpaka are provided. The floristic originality of incense juniper's bark is underlined.

A new liverwort species, Conocephalum salebrosum Szweykowski, Buczkowska et Odrzykoski, has been identified for the Bryophyte flora of Italy. The species was gathered in the Marmore Waterfalls, Umbria Region, Italy.