Ethnobotanical study on coconut plant in Karangwangi Village, Cianjur, West Java

Abstract

Erawan TS, Novia AS, Iskandar J. 2018. Ethnobotanical study on coconut plant in Karangwangi Village, Cianjur, West Java.
Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 4: 163-168. Ethnobotany is a branch of science that deepens the relationship between human culture
with the natural vegetation in the vicinity. This research was conducted to determine the coconut varieties and their utilization and the
source of knowledge acquisition of the people of Karangwangi Village, Cidaun Sub-district, Cianjur District, West Java about coconut
varieties and their utilization. In this case it is preferred to the perceptions and conceptions of cultural groups of the community, which is
studied is the knowledge system of its members in the face of the sphere of life. Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is a strategic commodity
that has a social, economic and cultural role in the life of Indonesian society. Karangwangi village is located in coastal area, coconut
plant grows dawn all over its territory. This research uses qualitative method and the analysis is descriptive. The gathering of informants
was done by snowball technique. Data collection was done by semi-structured interview. The research was conducted in Desa
Karangwangi RW 01-08. There are four varieties of coconut namely green coconut (Cocos nucifera L “green”), coconut quail (Cocos
nucifera var nana), red coconut (Cocos nucifera L "red"), and ivory coconut (Cocos nucifera L "ivory"). All parts of the plant are
utilized: Roots as ingredients of eye medicine and abdominal pain; Stem as building material; Leaves as material for making
broomstick, janur, ketupat wrap, traditional ceremony, and fuel; Nira flowers as a sugar ingredient; Coir fruit as a material for making
souvenirs and mats; Fruit shells as a material for making containers, scoops, and sugar prints; Meat fruit as foodstuff, medicine (stomach
and cough), coconut milk, VCO, coconut oil, copra, and traditional ceremony; Fruit water as a beverage, stomach pain medication, and
traditional ceremony. For medicine is usually used coconut quail and coconut green, while for traditional ceremonies of coconut green
and ivory coconut. Knowledge about coconut varieties and their utilization is obtained by the community from parents, local people and
government extension