To commemorate the 38th anniversary of Universitas Muhammadiyah Surabaya (UM Surabaya), it organized Semeru Literacy Festival (FLS) on Wednesday (23/03). The summit was conducted in Semeru mountainside, Sumber Mujur, Candipuro, Lumajang. Various agenda series included Alam Raya School, Orchids Virtual Tour, and Semeru Health Movement.
UM Surabaya introduced various species of orchids in the Orchid Virtual Tour. Besides the introduction, it also held technical socialization of orchid cultivation. Radius Setiyawan, 2022 FLS Manager Director, explained the series. “The local communities specializing in orchids for years will lead this agenda. The volunteers of Mahasiswa Tanggap Bencana (Student Disaster Response/Matana) UM Surabaya are also helping us here,” he said, as reported on UM Surabaya site.
Several volunteers of Matana UM Surabaya have helped local people to discover mountains by analyzing each species of orchids. It was conducted by ensuring the undamaged condition after the eruption of Semeru. Local people, Cak Saif, explained this condition. “We can see various unique and interesting orchids,” he said. Of hundreds of orchids, three orchids are fascinating, including the smallest orchid in the world, Corybas pictus; the jewel orchid, Macodes petola; and the ghost orchid, Chiloschista javanica.
The volunteering student, Syahril Ali Syabana, mentioned one orchid at the Semeru Literacy Festival. “The jewel orchid has different characteristics. The leaves shine like jewellery, especially at night. The management for Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park also mentioned the protected status for this orchid,” he said.