Skip to main content

Bamboo forest of Mount Merapi

Bamboo forest of Mount Merapi is a diverse natural forest area home to various species of bamboo living in the wild on the southern slopes of Mount Merapi in the Turgo region, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia. This is a protected area within the Mount Merapi National Park with an total area of 64 square kilometers.

The various bamboo species grow together in a location in the forest and are very dense. A species is only about the size of a little finger growing in clusters, whereas elsewhere different species have giant sizes and are tens of meters high.

Dlium Bamboo forest of Mount Merapi

Mount Merapi National Park has at least six species of bamboo including Cendani bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea), Giant bamboo or Dragon bamboo or Petung bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper), Ampel bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris), Java black bamboo or Wulung bamboo (Gigantochloa atroviolacea), String bamboo or Pring tali bamboo or Pring apus bamboo (Gigantochloa apus) and bamboo Legi (Gigantochloa atter).

This bamboo forest is located on the slopes of Turgo Hill on the south side of Mount Merapi and can only be reached on foot through a trail to climb and down several ravines. Some orchid species including Vanda tricolor stick to large fern trees along the road to get there.

Some bamboo clusters are connected to one another by long roots and sink into the ground like a cable to communicate with each other. Bamboo that grows tightly covers the path creating dark labyrinth passageways.



Some weeds grow in vines and make a circular path snaking on some bamboo trees like a handicraft, while a very rare parasite attaches to the ends of tall bamboo like a bird's nest.

The wind shakes the tops of tall canopies and moves the bamboo and produces very clear sounds. The magical "Krotok ... Krotok ... Krotok ..." sound appears when several bamboo trees rub against each other. The faster the gusts of wind the more sound is created with the sound of the leaves.

Birds chirping endlessly fill spaces into a choir. Various insects produce unique tones, but the presentation together creates a colossal orchestra. A distinctive sound echoed throughout the forest lens.



When the weather is sunny, the sun's rays pierce the grove between the tall pillars produce a beautiful silhouette panorama. In the morning, the rays of reddish light in a green environment like a painting that impresses in a combination of young colors and old colors.

Mount Merapi is the most active volcanic geology in the world, but this bamboo forest area has not been erupted in decades where the continuity of the flora has been maintained. The fertile soil layer continues to support the ecosystem to continue to grow until now.

Popular Posts

Kemadih (Fagraea ceilanica)

Kemadih ( Fagraea ceilanica ) is a species of plant in the Gentianaceae family. It grows as a climber and covers host trees. It is a perennial, multi-branched, hardwood plant with hard, brown bark and dark green young bark. F. ceilanica has thick leaves, 15 cm long and 8 cm wide. A central vein is linear, with a pointed tip and base. The upper surface is dark green and the lower surface is bright green. The petiole is 3 cm long. The flowers are fan-shaped with 5 inflorescences. The base is narrow, whitish-yellow or bright green, and 8 cm wide. Four inflorescences with brownish-white tips and one inflorescence with a green tip grow in the center. The fruit is green, 3.5 cm long, and the stalk is 2 cm long. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Gentianales Family: Gentianaceae Tribe: Potalieae Subtribe: Potaliinae Genus: Fagraea Thunb. in Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Nya Handl. 3: 125 (1782) Species: Fagraea ceilanica Thunb. in Kong...

Green-spored parasol (Chlorophyllum molybdites)

Green-spored parasol or false parasol ( Chlorophyllum molybdites ) is a species of fungus in Agaricaceae, has a large size, umbrella canopy, ringed pillar, dominant white color, grows widely spread in various latitudes, is poisonous and produces severe gastrointestinal symptoms in the form of vomiting and diarrhea. C. molybdites has a diameter of pileus up to 40 cm, sponges, round, flat top, convex or concave, whitish color with coarse brownish scales. The gills are white and will turn dark and green as they mature. Stipe has a height of up to 25 cm and has a ring. Green-spored parasols have green spores, thrive on manure in the yard and park, are solitary or crammed into an area, often arising from between the grasses in temperate, subtropical and tropical highlands throughout the world. C. molybdites is a poisonous fungus that is most often eaten by similarity to other agricultural fungi. Symptoms of poisoning come 1-3 hours after consumption, most of which are gastrointestinal w...

Plumeria rubra and Plumeria obtusa, the differences

SPECIES HEAD TO HEAD - The genus frangipani trees ( Plumeria Tourn. ex L.) has only 18 officially recorded species and two very similar species, frangipani ( Plumeria rubra L.) and white frangipani ( Plumeria obtusa L.). Both have the same habitus, flowers and fruits and are difficult to distinguish. The leaves of both species have slightly different shapes. Therefore, the leaves are very important to distinguish the two species, especially the shape of the tip. P. rubra has simple, lanceolate leaves with acute tips. P. obtusa has simple, elliptic leaves with rounded tips. By Aryo Bandoro Founder of Dlium.com . You can follow him on X: @Abandoro . Read more: Plumeria rubra Plumeria obtusa