Amidst the greenery of Bogor Botanical Gardens, there is a pair of\ntrees with a story different from the others. Not because of their\nstriking flowers or unique fruit, but because the two grow side by side\nand have become known to the public by a very familiar name: Pohon Jodoh\n(Matchmaking Trees).<\/p>\n
The story is intriguing because the two trees are not actually from\nthe same species. According to official information from the Gardens, in\n1866 two seedlings of different types were planted side by side at the\nlocation. One was a Meranti Tembaga (Shorea leprosula Miq.), while the\ntree next to it was a Beringin (Ficus albipila (Miq.) King).<\/p>\n
The public later called the two Pohon Jodoh because of their similar\nstature. The Gardens also records both types as trees that are already\nrare in Indonesia, with collection numbers VIII.D.11 and VIII.D.12. If\ncounted up to 2026, the planting has lasted about 160 years. During that\ntime, the two trees have become part of the long journey of Bogor\nBotanical Gardens.<\/p>\n
Two trees, two families<\/p>\n
At a glance, the presence of the two trees easily makes people regard\nthem as a similar pair. However, from a botanical perspective, the two\nactually have a fairly distant kinship.<\/p>\n
Meranti Tembaga, long known by the scientific name Shorea leprosula,\nbelongs to the Dipterocarpaceae group. In the latest taxonomy of Plants\nof the World Online from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the currently\naccepted name is Rubroshorea leprosula (Miq.) P.S.Ashton & J.Heck.,\nwhile Shorea leprosula Miq. is a synonym. This species is a tropical\ntree with a native distribution covering Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Malaya,\nand Thailand.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Beringin has the scientific name Ficus albipila (Miq.)\nKing. This species belongs to the Moraceae family, the family that also\nhouses various types of beringin and fig trees. Kew records Ficus\nalbipila as the accepted name, with a native distribution including\nJava, Sumatra, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Thailand, and several\nother tropical regions.<\/p>\n
Thus, botanically the two are not \u2018close relatives\u2019. Meranti Tembaga\nis in the Dipterocarpaceae family, while Beringin is in the Moraceae\nfamily. However, that difference does not prevent the two from growing\nside by side. And that is precisely where the story of Pohon Jodoh\nbecomes interesting.<\/p>\n
Why is it called Pohon Jodoh?<\/p>\n
The name Pohon Jodoh is not a scientific name. It is a name that grew\nfrom the stories and perceptions of the public towards two trees\nstanding side by side. The Gardens officially explains that the public\ncalls them Pohon Jodoh because of their similar stature. Two trees of\ndifferent types then became one object easily recognised by\nvisitors.<\/p>\n
In the development of stories in the community, the two later\nacquired symbolic meaning as a couple. Stories like this make the\nlocation have its own appeal, especially for visitors who come with a\npartner.<\/p>\n
But behind the romantic story there is a far more interesting\nbotanical fact: two plants from different families can live side by side\nin the same space and become part of one landscape for more than a\ncentury.<\/p>\n
Bogor Botanical Gardens is not merely a park<\/p>\n
To understand the importance of Pohon Jodoh, we need to look at the\ncontext of its location. Bogor Botanical Gardens is not merely a city\npark with beautiful trees. The official website of the Gardens explains\nthat a botanical garden is land planted with various types of plants for\nthe purposes of collection, research, and ex situ conservation.\nBotanical gardens also function as tourism and education facilities.<\/p>\n
Bogor Botanical Gardens itself was founded in 1817 and developed into\none of the important centres for the development of botanical science in\nIndonesia. In its historical journey, the area is closely related to the\ndevelopment of various scientific institutions, including the Herbarium\nBogoriense and other research institutions.<\/p>\n
Therefore, the old trees growing within it do not only have aesthetic\nvalue. They are part of a living collection that has scientific,\nhistorical, educational, and conservation value. Research published in\nthe Buletin Kebun Raya, a BRIN journal, also confirms that the tree\ncollection of Bogor Botanical Gardens is an important part of landscape\nmanagement for the purposes of conservation, research, education,\ntourism, and environmental services.<\/p>\n
Old trees are living archives<\/p>\n
Imagine a tree that has been growing for about 160 years. It has no\ndiary. No camera. It cannot tell what it has seen. But every year its\ngrowth leaves traces.<\/p>\n
The tree has passed through changing seasons, landscape changes,\nsocial changes, and generations of humans. Children who may have once\ncome to see it with their parents could now have brought their\ngrandchildren to see the same tree.<\/p>\n
Therefore, old trees in botanical gardens can be viewed as living\narchives of life. They are not archives in paper form, but biological\narchives that continue to grow. Their existence connects the past with\nthe present.<\/p>\n
From love stories to conservation<\/p>\n
There is something interesting about the way humans view Pohon Jodoh.\nSome visitors may come because of the story about a couple. Some come\nbecause they want to take photos. Others may only be interested in the\nshape of the trees.<\/p>\n
But for a botanist or conservation observer, attention will\nimmediately shift to other questions: What is the species name? Where\ndoes it come from? What is its taxonomic status? What is the condition\nof the tree? How can its existence be maintained? These questions show\nthat a tree can have many layers of meaning.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/inspiration-from-the-pohon-jodoh-at-bogor-botanical-gardens-1787845891", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }