Nepenthes mollis, Danser. A, 1928

Robinson, Alastair S., Golos, Michal R., Barer, Marc, Sano, Yosuke, Forgie, Jennifer J., Garrido, Diego, Gorman, Chandler N., Luick, Adi O., Mcintosh, Nick W. R., Mcpherson, Stewart R., Palena, Gregory J., Pančo, Ivan, Quinn, Brian D. & Shea, Jeff, 2019, Revisions in Nepenthes following explorations of the Kemul Massif and the surrounding region in north-central Kalimantan, Borneo, Phytotaxa 392 (2), pp. 97-126 : 104

Observations of Nepenthes mollis

Plants matching the Nepenthes mollis type material (at BO), as well as the description provided by Danser (1928), were located from 1840 m a.s.l. Identity was determined by examination of the leaves, stems, indumentum, and male inflorescences. Observations of living material bearing pitchers satisfied all authors that this taxon is conspecific with N. hurrelliana , as hypothesised by Salmon (1999), making the name N. hurrelliana a later heterotypic synonym of N. mollis . Additional measurements of living material at the type locality were made in order to provide an emended and more representative circumscription of this species. The discrepancies between N. hurrelliana and the type material of N. mollis raised by Salmon (1999) are addressed following the emended description of N. mollis (see Notes).

Observations of Nepenthes mollis at the type locality ruled out the initial belief that Nepenthes sp. Bagong might represent N. mollis . The pitchers and laminae of the two taxa are very similar, however requisite comparisons of the plants indicate that they represent a pair of closely related species that diverge markedly in terms of their petioles, axillary buds, lids, stems and general stature, but particularly their inflorescences (summarised in Table 2). In fact, Nepenthes sp. Bagong represents an undescribed taxon that has been documented across eastern Sarawak; including only records for which clear photographic evidence or collections are immediately available to the authors, this taxon has also been recorded from Batu Lawi (Jean De Witte pers. comm. 2003) and Batu Buli (Martin Dančák pers. comm. 2009), both in the Kelabit Highlands, as well as on Mt. Mulu (ca. 1400 m on the Melinau stream trail, AR, BQ pers. observ. 2014) and in the Hose Mountains (MB pers. observ. 2016). Its known range thus includes peaks across an area of 39,000 km 2, but with only a few specimens noted at each locality, it remains a poorly-documented taxon.