FENOLOGI PEMBUNGAAN Areca vestiaria Giseke DI KEBUN RAYA EKA KARYA BALI

The aims of this research are to understand flowering phenology of Areca vestiaria from highland and lowland to understand its flowering-fruiting productivity and the relation between its vegetative and reproductive growth. The study was conducted by observing four collections A. vestiaria from North and Central Sulawesi at Eka Karya Botanic Gardens. The study used a descriptive method by observing a flowering period including initiation, buds to anthesis, anthesis, young fruit and ripen fruit. The time required from beginning of flower until ripe fruit is 322 days for highland accession and 337 days for lowland accession. The average proportion of female flowers and male flowers in A. vestiaria is only 0.25. The number of female flowers of A. vestiaria from lowland accession is less than of the highland accession which is only 24.7%. The highland accession’s female flower ability to form young fruit is also bigger than that of the lowland accession (98.82% and 41.67% respectively). However, the highland accession’s sources to develop its young fruits into viable ripen fruits is lower than that of the lowland accessions (27.380% and 60%, respectively). There is a correlation between the height of the tree and the amount of flower produced (0.7) and there is no correlation between the diameter to the height and the amount of flowering. Seven species of insect were identified but pollinator insects are yet still unkown.