New Record: Ethnobotany of "Buah Tarasi" (Cassia javanica L.) in Sukabumi and Cianjur, West Java

Abstract

The article aimed to record community knowledge regarding cultivating, utilizing, and conserving tarasi fruit (Cassia javanica) in Cianjur and Sukabumi Districts, West Java. The ethnobotanical interview method was used for 22 respondents from Cilaku village, Cianjur district, and Tegal Buleud village, Sukabumi district. Respondent criteria have or have owned a tarasi tree and used it. The interview consisted of 20 questions. The data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using the Index of Cultural Significance (ICS). The results found that ecologically, tarasi fruit was grown by the community from seed (82%), in cultivation (68%), and planted in the yard (86%). Tarasi fruit is used, among others, for cooking seasoning (38%), firewood (42%), tools (8%), and digestive medicine (12%), but the highest ICS score is for cooking seasoning (10.89). The utilization of tarasi fruit in the form of dried pods is processed into a paste. The presence of live trees in only 36.4% still used for seasoning in only 9.1%, and there has yet to be an attempt to share knowledge. The conclusion is that tarasi fruit for vegetable shrimp paste must be developed so that it has an impact on conservation.