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

Japanese morning glory (Ipomoea nil)

Japanese morning glory ( Ipomoea nil ) is a species of plant in the Convolvulaceae family, a climber with twining stems that grow up to 5 meters long. The green, finely hairy leaves are 14 cm long, heart-shaped at the base, entire or 3-5-lobed, tapering at the edges. The flowers are funnel-shaped, blue to reddish-purple with a whitish tube, 5 cm wide and up to 7 cm long. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Solanales Family: Convolvulaceae Subfamily: Convolvuloideae Tribe: Ipomoeeae Genus: Ipomoea L. in Sp. Pl.: 159 (1753) Species: Ipomoea nil (L.) Roth in Catal. Bot. 1: 36 (1797) HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS Convolvuloides triloba Moench in Methodus: 452 (1794) Convolvulus nil L. in Sp. Pl., ed. 2.: 219 (1762) Pharbitis nil (L.) Choisy in Mém. Soc. Phys. Genève 6: 439 (1833 publ. 1834) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Convolvulus caeruleus (Roxb. ex Ker-Gawl.) Spreng. in Syst. Veg., ed. 16. 1: 593 (1824) Convolvulus coelestis G.Forst. in Fl. Ins...

Moist pimpernel (Lindernia dubia)

Moist pimpernel ( Lindernia dubia ) is a species of plant in the Linderniaceae. It is a herbaceous, ground-growing, erect, cylindrical stem with red to light brown color. The leaves are green, oval, up to 10 mm long, up to 7 mm wide, with rounded tips and reddish veins. The flowers are funnel-shaped, bluish-white, with yellow veins. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Linderniaceae Genus: Lindernia All. in Auct. Syn. Meth. Stirp. Hort. Regii Taur. 3: 178 (1766) Species: Lindernia dubia (L.) Pennell in Monogr. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 1: 141 (1935) Variety: Lindernia dubia var. dubia, Lindernia dubia var. rhizomatosa Pennell ex D.Q.Lewis HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS Ilysanthes dubia (L.) Barnhart in Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 26: 376 (1899) Ilysanthes gratioloides Benth. in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 10: 419 (1846) Gratiola dubia L. in Sp. Pl.: 17 (1753) Limnophila dubia (L.) M.R.Almeida in Fl. Maharashtra 3B: 393 (2001)...

Philippine spinach (Talinum fruticosum)

Philippine spinach ( Talinum fruticosum ) is a species of plant in the Talinaceae family. It is an erect, non-woody herb, growing up to 100 cm tall. The leaves are radially arranged, up to 15 cm long and 5 cm wide, with a large central vein. The surface is smooth, shiny, dark green, and pinnate at the base. The inflorescences are in clusters. The flowers are fan-shaped with five red or white petals, with yellow anthers. Fruit round, up to 5 mm wide. This plant grows wild in colonies on forest floors, agricultural lands, roadsides, and abandoned areas. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Caryophyllales Family: Talinaceae Genus: Talinum Adans. in Fam. Pl. 2: 245, 609 (1763) Species: Talinum fruticosum (L.) Juss. in Gen. Pl.: 312 (1789) HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS Portulaca fruticosa L. in Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2 (1759) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Ruelingia triangularis (Jacq.) Ehrh. in Beitr. Naturk. Verw. Wiss. 3 (1788) Calandrinia andrewsii ...