A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

mollis,-e (adj.B), [= Gk malakos], compar. mollior,-ius (adj.B); superl. mollissimus,-a,um (adj.A) = mitissimus, lenissima; soft, pliant, flexible, supple; soft, tender, delicate, gentle, mild, pleasant; (of food), mild, not sharp; (of an egg) soft; (of bread) the soft part, the crumb;(of a breeze) soft gentle [> mollis,-e (adj.B), soft; syn tener, facilis, flexibilis, lentus; syn. tener, facilis, flexibilis, lentus (Lewis & Short)].

Lacking firmness, soft, flabby, flaccid; supple, flexible, loose, pliant; mild or soft to the senses, gentle; (of things) gently moving or acting;

opp. durus,-a,-um (adj.A), ‘hard;’ duriusculus,-a,-um (adj.A), between hard and soft (i.e. somewhat hard); opp. rigidus,-a,-um (adj.A), q.v., ‘stiff, rigid.’

NOTE: mollis,-e (adj.B): “soft; usually meaning pubescent” (Jackson).

NOTE: mollis,-e (adj.B): “soft; with soft hairs” (Stearn 1996).

NOTE: molle, “Peruvian vernacular name” (Stearn 1996) [probably indeclinable].

- [fungus] totus fungus mollis, carnosus, levis, biuncialis: num cavus? haud dixerimus; a vermibus enim intus erosus erat (S&A), the whole fungus was soft, fleshy, thin [i.e. lacking substance], two inches: should it be hollow? We would have said no; for it had been eaten away inside by worms.

- plantae molles, laxe foliaceae, plants soft-textured, laxly leafy.

- caro molliuscula levis, subsuberosam, quasi elastica, flesh somewhat pliant, light, very lightly corky as if elastic.

- folia mollia, plana, nec rigida, nec carinata, leaves soft, flat, neither stiff nor keeled.

- folia mollia, plana, nec rigida, nec carinata (B&H), leaves soft-textured, neither rigid nor keeled.

- frútices arboresve spinosae, glaberrimae, ligno molli (B&H), shrubs or trees, spinose, very glabrous, with a soft wood.

- arbor humilis: ligno candido, molli, fragili (Swartz), a low tree, with the wood a clear white, soft, fragile.

- [fungus] sphaerulae villo quodam brevi lanuginoso, sparsim in cirrhos flexuosos ligno molli interrepentes prolongato, obductae (S&A), the sphaerules covered with a certain short, wooly villus [i.e. a coating of long weak hairs], here and there when extended, creeping inside soft wood in flexuous cirri [i.e. a tendril-like structure].

- [moss] folia e cellulis parum mollioribus nunquam opacis sed amoene chlorophyllosis areolata, the leaves areolate with cells somewhat more delicate, never opaque but beautifully chlorophyllose.

- [fungi] Sunt ista peridiola initio minuta, mollissima, pulposa, extus intusque unicolora laete flava: paullatim inde in formam plerumque ovato - oblongam, ob situm arctum diversimode compressam, excrescunt (S&A), those are peridioles at the beginning minute, very soft [i.e. pliant], pulpy [i.e. soft and juicy], both inside and outside unicolorous [i.e. of a single color], with a lively yellow color; little by little [i.e. gradually]] from that point they grow up usually ovately-oblong in form, compressed in various ways due to their tight surroundings.

NOTE: this epithet is often used of species with leaves that are soft to the touch because of their pubescence: Crataegus mollis with the undersides of the leaf densely tomentose Hamamelis mollis, with densely pubescent leaves beneath; Bromus mollis, with puberulent culms and pubescent sheaths and blades with softly pubescent spikelets.

submollis,-e (adj.B): somewhat soft often refers to a somewhat tomentose condition of the leaves (e.g. Crataegus submollis).