Stelechocarpus burahol (Blume) Hook. f. & Thomson
Family
Annonaceae
Synonyms
Uvaria burahol Blume.
Vernacular Names
| English and French | Kepel. |
| Indonesia | Kepel (Malay, Javanese), burahol (Sundanese), kecindul (Javanese). |
Geographical Distributions
Stelechocarpus burahol is found in Southeast Asia, throughout Malaysia as far as the Solomons; however, in the Philippines and Australia, it is a recent introduction. Cultivation seems to be limited to Java.
Description
S. burahol is an erect, evergreen tree which can reach up to 25 m tall. Its trunk is up to 40 cm in diametre. It is dark grey-brown to black and characteristically covered with numerous thick tubercles.
The leaves are elliptic-oblong to ovate-lance-shaped, measuring 12-27 cm x 5-9 cm, dark green, hairless and thin leathery. The petiole is up to 1.5 cm long.
The flowers are unisexual, green turning whitish and fascicled on tubercles. The male flowers are on the upper trunk and the older branches, 8-16 together and up to 1 cm in diametre. The female flowers are only on the lower part of the trunk and up to 3 cm in diametre.
The fruit is with 1-13 berry-like, ripe carpels while the fruit stalk is up to 8 cm long. The ripe carpels are almost spherical, brownish and 5-6 cm in diametre. The pericarp is brown, juicy and edible. There are 4-6 seeds which are ellipsoid and about 3 cm long.
Ecology / Cultivation
S. burahol occurs wild on deep, moist clay soils in secondary forests in Java. It is cultivated as a fruit tree at elevations up to 600 m, and fruits at 18°S in Queensland. It grows well among bamboo clumps where other trees would not be able to compete.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
- Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.2: Edible fruits and nuts.
