Mount Patah is part of the conservation area of Raje Mandare Protected Forest, Bengkulu. Until now, it had never known of the study of plants which originating from the region. Moreover, the threat of forest clearance which more increasing, especially in the hill zone of Mount Patah, is urged to be conducted a study on the vegetation composition which useful for conservation efforts in the future. Based on this, the basic research was conducted in the form of plant exploration and study of vegetation composition on the hill zone (630-800 masl) Mount Patah, Bengkulu. Plants exploration used an exploration method, while the vegetation composition study used a transect method with a quadrant analysis, each of 10 plots size 10 x 10 m2 (for trees vegetation with a diameter >10 cm) and 5 x 5 m2 (for understory vegetation). Exploration results showed at least 75 families (61 families of flowering plants and 14 families of ferns) and 147 genera (129 genera of flowering plants and 18 genera of ferns) plants were found in the forest of hill zone of Mount Patah. In addition, as many as 226 numbers of specimens had been collected during exploration activities to be conserved ex situ in Cibodas Botanical Garden (CBG). Plants collected included an endemic plant (Rhododendron vinicolor), rare plants (Durio dulcis, Shorea platyclados) and useful plants (drug, food, decorative, wood). From that number of specimens, there were 9 genus and 74 species that were new collections of CBG. Furthermore, the results of the vegetation analysis on tree level showed that Dipterocarpaceae family had the highest IVI (66.1%), then followed by Lauraceae, Myristicaceae and Myrtaceae. For the understory vegetation, plants family which had the highest IVI were Meliaceae (42.08%), then followed by Zingiberaceae, Arecaceae and Athyriaceae. The results of this study were expected can be used as one of the basic considerations for improving the efforts of plant protection and preservation at the conservation areas in the area of Mount Patah, Bengkulu.
Prosiding Seminar Nasional Masyarakat Biodiversitas Indonesia, Vol. 2, No. 2. Hal. 132-137
ISSN 2407-8050
(2016)