Konservasi ex situ Amorphophallus titanum di Kebun Raya Bogor, Indonesia

Abstract

Puspitaningtyas DM, Ariati SR. 2016. Ex situ conservation of Amorphophallus titanum in Bogor Botanic Gardens, Indonesia. Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 2: 219-225. The Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum (Becc.) Becc.) is a native and an endemic plant in Sumatra. It was first discovered in 1878 by a Florentine (Italy) botanist, Odoardo Beccari. The gigantic inflorescence of this plant is regarded as a flagship species for Bogor Botanic Gardens. The Titan Arum naturally grows in the rainforest or local inhabitant plantation/yard. In the wild, the natural habitat of Titan Arum has been damaged as a result of population pressure continues to increase, or cut off by people because it is considered as weed. In addition, the forest degradation due to an illegal logging by people may also to be another threat to the habitat of the species. Bogor Botanic Gardens has been playing an important role in the ex situ conservation of A. titanum. This plant has been developed as ex situ conservation since 1954. This paper presented a secondary data of A. titanum from the plant collections database of Bogor Botanic Gardens. The cultivation of A. titanum is not easy, but it offers a challenge for the practitioners of a horticulturist. Besides their cultivation techniques, the pollination techniques are also to be a challenge in ex situ conservation of this species. A self-pollination is almost not possible because of the pollens only ripe when a receptive phase of pistil has finished. A hand-pollination is the other alternative to produce seeds.