Potensi Jenis Tanaman Penghasil Pangan dan Rempah di Kawasan Arboretum Universitas Sumatera Utara

Abstract

The Arboretum of the Universitas Sumatera Utara is a green space with many trees. The Arboretum area is located in Kwala Bekala, Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra Province. The Arboretum as an ecosystem has many benefits including as a area of research and education, as well as tourism and has other interesting benefits). This study aims to identify and inventory the diversity of plants that have the potential as sources of food and spices in the Arboretum of the Universitas Sumatera Utara. This study was conducted using the census method. The census method is a method carried out by analyzing all types of plants in the USU Arboretum area. The vegetation analysis method is used to calculate the Important Value Index (IVI), Species Diversity Index (H'), Margalef Richness Index (D), and Evenness Index (E). There are 33 types of food-producing trees growing in the USU Arboretum with a total of 5,083 individuals. The most abundant species is Ketapang (Terminalia catappa) with 1,000 individuals or 19.67% of the total. The highest IVI values at the seedling, sapling, and pole levels are owned by Ketapang (Terminalia catappa) with each IVI value in sequence, namely 44.86%, 50.05%, 17.96%. The highest IVI value at the tree level is obtained by the Melinjo (Gnetum gnemon) type with a value of 78.40% and the lowest is obtained by Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) with a value of 3.42%. The highest IVI value at the understory level is Prunella (Prunella vulgaris), which is 67.17% and the lowest is Curcuma longa (Turmeric) with an IVI value of 1.19%.