Nepenthes talangensis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows in upper montane forest at elevations of 1800–2500 m above sea level. The specific epithet talangensis is derived from the name of Mount Talang, to which it is endemic, and the Latin ending -ensis, meaning "from". Botanical history Early specimens Although only recognised as a distinct species towards the end of the 20th century, N. talangensis was collected as early as 1918 by H. A. B. Bünnemeijer. Bünnemeijer made three collections from Mount Talang during this time. The specimen series Bünnemeijer 5398 was collected on November 2, 1918, at an elevation of 2200 m. It is deposited at both Herbarium Bogoriense (BO), the herbarium of the Bogor Botanical Gardens, and the National Herbarium of the Netherlands (L) in Leiden (formerly Herbarium Lugduno-Batavum, the State Herbarium at Leiden), with all specimens lacking floral material. Bünnemeijer also collected Bünnemeijer 5397 on the same day at an elevation of 2400 m. It is deposited at Herbarium Bogoriense and lacks floral material. Five days later, on November 7, Bünnemeijer 5521 (or Bünnemeijer 2552) was collected from 2500 m on Mount Talang. It is deposited at both Herbarium Bogoriense (male and female floral material) and the National Herbarium of the Netherlands (female floral material; sheet H.L.B. 822.60.920). Bünnemeijer made a fourth collection of N. talangensis from Bukit Gombak on November 16, 1918, at an elevation of 2330 m. This specimen, designated as Bünnemeijer 5748 bis (or Bünnemeijer 6740), is held at Herbarium Bogoriense and lacks floral material. It was collected on the same day as some of the earliest known specimens of N. inermis. Taxonomic confusion and formal description Nepenthes talangensis has been confused with N. bongso on a number of occasions. In his seminal 1928 monograph, "The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies", B. H. Danser treated specimens of N. bongso, N. ovata, and N. talangensis all under N. bongso. Shigeo Kurata did the same in an article published in a 1973 issue of The Gardens' Bulletin Singapore. Two early colour photographs of N. talangensis were published by Mike Hopkins, Ricky Maulder, and Bruce Salmon, in a 1990 issue of the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter, where the species was again confused with, and identified as, N. bongso. Joachim Nerz conducted field studies of N. talangensis on Mount Talang in 1986 and made three collections of the species: Nerz 2501 consists of a short