Kepel (Stelechocarpus burahol)

Kepel (Stelechocarpus burahol) is a plant species in Annonaceae, an upright and hard woody tree, always green, a table fruit producing that is the mascot flora of Yogyakarta Province which is favored by the princesses of the Javanese kingdoms which are believed to make fragrant sweat and odorless urine.

S. burahol does not shed leaves simultaneously, height 25 m, regular canopy and dome-shaped tapering up with horizontal branches. The stem is up to 40 cm in diameter, dark brown to black and typically covered by many large lumps.

The leaves are elliptical to lanceolate, 12-27 cm long, 5-9 cm wide, a main bone in the middle, several pinnate minor bones, sharp edges, dark green, shiny, thick, hairless and thin horizontal. Petiole has a length of up to 1.5 cm.

The flowers are unisexual, appearing on the bulges on the trunk and turn green and turn white. Male flowers are located on the upper trunk and in the old branches, gathered in 8-16 buds and 1 cm in diameter. Female flowers appear at the base of the stem, 3 cm in diameter.

The fruit has 1-13 leaves, berrylike ripe carpels, ripe has a round shape, brownish color, 5-6 cm in diameter, brown pericarp, contains fruit juice and can be eaten. Fruit stalk length of 8 cm.

Each fruit has 4-6 seeds, shaped as long, 3 cm long, fresh weight 62-105 g, has a portion of 27% of the weight of fresh fruit, while the edible portion has a portion of 49%.



Ripe fruit is eaten fresh. The fruit is used for body fragrances, the flesh is orange and contains fruit juices that give urine, sweat and breath scents such as the smell of roses and sapodilla.

The fruit is used for laxative urine, preventing inflammation of the kidneys and preventing temporary pregnancy which women use as natural contraception. Wood for household utensils, straight stems soaked for several months in water for building materials and lasting more than 50 years.

Kepel becomes a beautiful ornamental tree, the leaves appear simultaneously changing from pale pink to purplish red before turning again to brilliant green. Cylindrical canopy with many lateral branches systematically arranged adds beauty.

S. burahol grows wild on moist and deep soils in secondary forests on Java. This species can grow well between bamboo groves where other species cannot compete in that place. Often cultivated as fruit trees at an altitude of 600 m.

Kepel is generally propagated from seeds taken from ripe fruit and sown as soon as possible. Tapping and grafting have been tried, but it did not work. The fruit is considered ripe if the skin is scratched to look yellow or light brown inside. The fruit can be stored 2-3 weeks at room temperature.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Annonaceae
Genus: Stelechocarpus
Species: Stelechocarpus burahol