Kepel (Seedling) Fruit Plant

Kepel fruits, botanically classified as Stelechocarpus burahol, grow on an evergreen, tropical tree belonging to the Annonaceae family. The variety is native to Southeast Asia and is as an ornamental, producing dark green and red, glossy leaves. It has brightly colored flowers that decorate the tree’s trunk. Hundreds of fruits also grow directly from the tree’s lower trunk, giving the tree an unusual, enveloped appearance. Despite their ornamental nature, Kepel fruit trees are an endangered species as most of the trees in Southeast Asia have been cut down for urban development.

Eventually, in the 1970s, the fruits were permitted for widespread consumption. But still many traditional families cut down the trees as they treated the fruits as off-limits. In the modern-day, Kepel fruits are rare, scarcely sold in local markets, and are foraged from the remaining trees for fresh consumption. Variety replantation is happening with high efforts. Kepel fruit trees are slow-growing which has reduced repopulation efforts.

Kepel fruits are small to medium-sized, averaging 3 to 6 centimeters in diameter, and have an oval to round shape. The skin is leathery and slightly rough, transitioning from green to yellow-brown when mature, and the fruits ripen over a period of six months. Underneath the surface, the flesh has a creamy, semi-aqueous, and smooth consistency and is green when young, developing yellow-orange hues when ripe. The flesh also encases 4 to 6 large, oval, and light brown seeds. To determine when the fruit is ripe, the skin can be lightly scratched. The fruits is still immature if the scratched portion reveals a green hue. When the fruits becomes orange color, then its ready to harvest. The fruits are aromatic and have a sweet, fruity, and tropical flavor with papaya, mango, and coconut undertones.

Kepel Benefits

• They are a good source of vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, reduce inflammation, and boost collagen production within the skin.
• The fruits also contain vitamin A to help protect against vision loss and maintain healthy organ functioning.
• They acts as a natural diuretic to cleanse the kidneys and as an anti-aging ingredient.
• Kepel had a potential pharmacological activity as an oral deodorant through its adsorbent function and probiotic activation.
• The leaves helps to lower cholesterol levels
• They are good for the kidneys helping averting stone formation and healthy functioning.