POPULATION OF POTENTIAL RATTAN IN BUKIT TIBAN PROTECTION FOREST, BATAM, INDONESIA

Abstract

Rattan is one of the promising non-timber forest products which grow widely in Indonesia. The occurrence of rattan species, especially the commercial species, is threatened due to illegal over-exploitation. The study has been done in the Bukit Tiban Protection Forest (BTPF) to investigate the occurrence of rattan species and observe the characteristic of morphology properties and their utilization. In this study, a descriptive exploration method was applied and we performed an interview with local people in the field regarding the utilization. Morphological characteristics observed including habitus, leaves (such as color, leaflets, leaf arrangement, knee, ocrea, and climbing organ/cirrus/flagellum), and fruit. The identification key, illustrations, as well as the diagnostic character of each species were presented. Ten species of rattans were found in the BTPF, namely Calamus sp.1 (Daemonorops verticillaris (Griff.) Martius), Calamus sp.2 (Calamus rugosus Beccari), rotan sabut (Daemonorops sabut Beccari), rotan buah kecil (Daemonorops didymophylla Beccari), Plectocomia sp. (Plectocomia elongate Martius ex Blume), rotan bukit (Daemonorops sepal Beccari), rotan dahan (Korthalsia rostrata Blume), Calamus sp.5 (Calamus spectatissimus Furtado), Calamus sp. (Daemonorops longipes (Griff.) Martius), and Calamus sp.6 (Calamus tanakadatei Furtado). Those ten species of rattan are potentially used for handicrafts, basketry, and ropes. Only five of ten species of rattan have been used commercially.