Description

Kepel fruit or burahol (Stelechocarpus burahol) is a table fruit-producing tree which is the flora of the identity of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Kepel fruit is favored by the daughters of palaces in Java because it is believed to make sweat smell good and make urine not smell sharp.

Kepel tree has a height of up to 25 m with a trunk diameter of up to 40 cm. On the bark there are bumps. These lumps are former places for flowers and fruit because the flowers and fruit of the kepel do appear on tree trunks instead of on the tops of twigs or branches.

Kepel leaves are single, tapered with a length of between 12 – 27 cm and a width of 5 – 9 cm. Kepel leaf color is dark green. Flowers unisexual, fragrant. Male flowers are found on the upper stem or old branches in clusters of 8 to 16. Meanwhile, female flowers are only found on the lower stem.

Kepel fruit grows to fill the tree trunk. Kepel fruit shape is oval round with a slightly tapered base. The color of the Kepel fruit is slightly grayish brown, and when it is old it will turn dark brown. The flesh is slightly yellowish to brown in color and wraps around a fairly large seed. Sweet Kepel fruit taste.

Kepel or Burahol trees are spread across Southeast Asia from Malaysia, Indonesia to the Solomon Islands and even Australia. In Indonesia, especially in Java, Kepel Trees are getting rare and rare. Kepel trees can grow in secondary forest habitats found in the lowlands to an altitude of 600 meters above sea level.

The ripe fruit is eaten fresh. It is said that the flesh is orange and contains fruit juice that gives a scent like roses mixed with sapodilla fruit on bodily excretions (such as urine, sweat and breath). In medicine, the fruit flesh functions as a laxative for urine, prevents inflammation of the kidneys and causes (temporary) infertility in women. So, this kepel was used by noble women as perfume and birth control; in Java