Palm species diversity on Mount Slamet, Central Java, Indonesia

The palm plant group exists widespread in the world, including in Indonesia. The palm population occupies limited and specific scope areas. Palm diversity on Mt Slamet of Central Java, Indonesia, has not been reported. This study aimed to reveal the existence of palm diversity that occupies different sides of Mt. Slamet, i.e., the southern, the eastern, the western, and the northern slopes. The method used purposive sampling consisting of 236 10×10-m-plots on the palm population found along the climbing path of the four sides. The results showed that the diversity of the palm within each slope was significantly different. The palm diversity on the southern slope reveals the highest species richness and abundance with Pinanga javana. However, there is no single palm population existing on the eastern slope. The palm population on the western and northern slopes was not significantly different because of the similar number of species found. The southern slope has more stable microclimate factors, such as rainfall and temperature, that support the conclusion that the habitat on the area is in the most stable condition for the palm population.