Association among Lepironia articulata Cyperaceae, peat soil and people in Wanggate, Mappi, Papua

Abstract

Wanggate is a small village that is surrounded by water like a small island in the wetland area. A creek connecting to a main river is a mean of transportation to reach Mappi or another nearby village. Next to the river, population of grass were living and periodically waterlogged by the river. L. articulate, a species under Cyperaceae family, grows abundantly in small lake or pool that has connection to the river. Dark green color is a sign of L. articulata presence. The grass could reach up to 2 m tall and lives above water. Relationship among people, plants with peat soil has been present since a long time. The research was undertaken to understand more about the association. The nature of this study was descriptive with interviews to obtain ethnobotanical data. Fifty plot-wise sampling technique was used to collect data. The result shows that L. articulata shrub was the habitat of freshwater fishes like nila (Oreochormis niloticus), Channa sp. and shrimps. People has been dependent to fisheries from the lake and grasses for living. They make bags, arm straps, traditional hats, umbrellas, mats, kitchen utensils like baskets and plates, clothes and roofs from L. articulata. Peat soil was found in 31 plots and 28 of those plots were covered by L. articulata. Association index between of L. articulata and peat soil was 0.875 and dominance index of the plant was 0.868. The other plants, Melaleuca cajuputi, were found in 3 plots. The research discovered Paspalum conjugatum, grass-type vegetation, which associated with mineral soil like sago palm (Metroxylon sago).