Nepenthes mollis
About
Nepenthes mollis, or the velvet pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant species native to Kalimantan, Borneo. It is notable for its dense covering of soft, brown hairs, which gives it a velvety appearance. The species is currently known only from the type locality of Mount Kemul.
Field notes
Morphology
The plant is a climbing species with stems that can grow to at least 4 meters in length and are 6 to 9 mm thick. Leaves are coriaceous, scattered, and sessile, with lanceolate to spatulate-lanceolate laminae, measuring approximately 18 to 20 cm long. All parts of the plant, including the stem and leaves, are covered in a dense indumentum of soft, brown hairs. The male inflorescence is racemose, with a peduncle of about 7.5 cm and a rachis of 10 to 15 cm.
Distribution & habitat
It is native to Kalimantan, Borneo, and is specifically known from Mount Kemul, which serves as its type locality. The habitat is described as dense forest located on a steep slope. While the species is only confirmed from Mount Kemul, its wider distribution may include other unexplored higher neighboring mountains.
Ecology
The source material does not provide specific details regarding the carnivory, prey capture mechanism, or mutualisms of Nepenthes mollis. It only describes the physical structure of the plant, noting that the pitchers and female flowers are unknown from the type specimen.
Cultivation notes
The source material does not provide specific information regarding the optimal temperature range, humidity, or growth rate for cultivation. It only describes the plant's natural habitat as a dense forest on a steep slope.
History & etymology
The species was first collected on October 17, 1925, by Frederik Endert on Mount Kemul in East Kalimantan. It was formally described in 1928 by B. H. Danser in his monograph, where he noted that the pitchers were unknown but the other parts were peculiar. The type specimen is deposited at the Herbarium Bogoriense.
Conservation
Its conservation status is listed as Data Deficient on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The species is known only from a single type locality, and its wider distribution remains unconfirmed.
Habitat
- Altitude
- 1,800–1,800 m
- Altitude class
- highland
- Native to
- Borneo, Kalimantan
- IUCN status
- Data Deficient
Taxonomy
- Described
- 1928
- Authority
- Danser
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Temperature
- Day 22–30°C / Night 15–22°C
- Humidity
- 70–95%