Morphological Characterization and Kinship Analysis of the Kepel Plant (Stelechocarpus Burahol)
Abstract
Kepel (Stelechocarpus burahol) is an endemic Javanese plant whose natural populations are declining, requiring conservation based on scientific evidence. This study aimed to characterize the morphological variation and analyze the phenotypic relationships of kepel populations across five ecological zones in Kebumen Regency: West, South, Central, East, and North. A total of 25 individuals were examined using a quantitative descriptive survey. Vegetative traits (leaf length, leaf width, stem diameter) and generative traits (flower diameter) were measured, while environmental parameters were recorded to support data interpretation. Numerical taxonomy analysis was conducted using the Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) based on standardized Euclidean distances. The results showed substantial morphological variation among zones, with stem diameters ranging from 27.7 to 30.5 cm and leaf lengths from 17.5 to 19.8 cm. Significant correlations were observed between soil pH, humidity, and temperature with key morphological traits (r = 0.70–0.90). The UPGMA dendrogram revealed three major clusters corresponding to distinct microhabitats. These findings indicate local adaptation of kepel populations in Kebumen and provide a scientific basis for both in situ and ex situ conservation of local germplasm.
References
Abbas, F., Zhou, Y., O’Neill Rothenberg, D., Alam, I., Ke, Y., & Wang, H. C. (2023). Aroma components in horticultural crops: chemical diversity and usage of metabolic engineering for industrial applications. Plants, 12(9), 1748. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12091748
Akin-Idowu, P. E., Gbadegesin, M. A., Orkpeh, U., Ibitoye, D. O., & Odunola, O. A. (2016). Characterization of grain amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) germplasm in south west Nigeria using morphological, nutritional, and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Resources, 5(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources5010006
Avianto, Y., & Saputra, B. F. (2024). Perbandingan Ekofisiologis Pucuk Teh pada Ketinggian Rendah dan Menengah di DIY. Jurnal Agrosains Dan Teknologi, 9(2), 59-69. https://doi.org/10.24853/jat.9.2.%25p
Babbar, N., Oberoi, H. S., & Sandhu, S. K. (2015). Therapeutic and nutraceutical potential of bioactive compounds extracted from fruit residues. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 55(3), 319-337. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2011.653734
Chevin, L. M., & Hoffmann, A. A. (2017). Evolution of phenotypic plasticity in extreme environments. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 372(1723), 20160138. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2016.0138
Darkwa, K., Agre, P., Olasanmi, B., Iseki, K., Matsumoto, R., Powell, A., ... & Asfaw, A. (2020). Comparative assessment of genetic diversity matrices and clustering methods in white Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundata) based on morphological and molecular markers. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 13191. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69925-9
Dent, C. L., & Grimm, N. B. (1999). Spatial heterogeneity of stream water nutrient concentrations over successional time. Ecology, 80(7), 2283-2298. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(1999)080[2283:SHOSWN]2.0.CO;2
Dincheva, I., Badjakov, I., & Galunska, B. (2023). New insights into the research of bioactive compounds from plant origins with nutraceutical and pharmaceutical potential. Plants, 12(2), 258. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12020258
Escudero, A., Iriondo, J. M., & Torres, M. E. (2003). Spatial analysis of genetic diversity as a tool for plant conservation. Biological Conservation, 113(3), 351-365. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(03)00122-8
Fakhry, A. M., El-Keblawy, A., Shabana, H. A., Gamal, I. E., & Shalouf, A. (2019). Microhabitats affect population size and plant vigor of three critically endangered endemic plants in Southern Sinai Mountains, Egypt. Land, 8(6), 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/land8060086
Farré-Armengol, G., Fernández-Martínez, M., Filella, I., Junker, R. R., & Peñuelas, J. (2020). Deciphering the biotic and climatic factors that influence floral scents: a systematic review of floral volatile emissions. Frontiers in plant science, 11, 1154. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.01154
Hellman, J. (2017). Living together with ancestors: cultural heritage and sacred places on West Java. International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 5(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.21427/D7PQ79
Huang, C. W., McDonald, R. I., & Seto, K. C. (2018). The importance of land governance for biodiversity conservation in an era of global urban expansion. Landscape and Urban Planning, 173, 44-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.01.011
Ige, O. E., Ojo, F. R., & Onikanni, S. A. (2024). Rural and Urban Development: Pathways to Environmental Conservation and Sustainability. In Prospects for Soil Regeneration and Its Impact on Environmental Protection (pp. 307-333). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-53270-2_14
Ishmawati, N. U. R. (2024). Analisis Clustering Umkm Sektor Perikanan Di Kabupaten Tangerang Menggunakan K-Modes Algorithm (Doctoral dissertation, Fakultas Teknik Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa).
Kacjan Maršić, N., Štolfa, P., Vodnik, D., Košmelj, K., Mikulič-Petkovšek, M., Kump, B., ... & Šircelj, H. (2021). Physiological and biochemical responses of ungrafted and grafted bell pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum (L.) Sendtn.) grown under moderate salt stress. Plants, 10(2), 314. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10020314
Karim, A. A., & Azlan, A. (2012). Fruit pod extracts as a source of nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Molecules, 17(10), 11931-11946. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules171011931
Lachowiec, J., Queitsch, C., & Kliebenstein, D. J. (2016). Molecular mechanisms governing differential robustness of development and environmental responses in plants. Annals of botany, 117(5), 795-809. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcv151
Linhart, Y. B., & Grant, M. C. (1996). Evolutionary significance of local genetic differentiation in plants. Annual review of ecology and systematics, 27(1), 237-277. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.27.1.237
Liu, U., Gianella, M., Dávila Aranda, P., Diazgranados, M., Flores Ortíz, C. M., Lira-Saade, R., ... & Ulian, T. (2023). Conserving useful plants for a sustainable future: species coverage, spatial distribution, and conservation status within the Millennium Seed Bank collection. Biodiversity and Conservation, 32(8), 2791-2839. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-023-02631-w
Madeira, P. T., Van, T. K., Steward, K. K., & Schnell, R. J. (1997). Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis of the phenetic relationships among world-wide accessions of Hydrilla verticillata. Aquatic Botany, 59(3-4), 217-236. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3770(97)00075-2
Mohammed, H. A., Sulaiman, G. M., Al‐Saffar, A. Z., Mohsin, M. H., Khan, R. A., Hadi, N. A., ... & Abomughaid, M. M. (2025). Aromatic volatile compounds of essential oils: distribution, chemical perspective, biological activity, and clinical applications. Food Science & Nutrition, 13(9), e70825. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.70825
Mulyanto, D., Iskandar, B. S., Iskandar, J., & Wiyanti, D. T. (2024). Flora Of Ancient Java: Identification Of Species, Landscape Distribution, And Cultural Association Of Plants Mentioned In Old Javanese Ramayana. Reinwardtia, 23(2), 85-103. https://doi.org/10.55981/reinwardtia.2024.4821
Napier, J. D., Heckman, R. W., & Juenger, T. E. (2023). Gene-by-environment interactions in plants: Molecular mechanisms, environmental drivers, and adaptive plasticity. The Plant Cell, 35(1), 109-124. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac322
Niewiarowski, P. H., & Roosenburg, W. (1993). Reciprocal transplant reveals sources of variation in growth rates of the lizard Sceloporus undulatus. Ecology, 74(7), 1992-2002. https://doi.org/10.2307/1940842
Odong, T. L., Van Heerwaarden, J., Jansen, J., van Hintum, T. J., & Van Eeuwijk, F. A. (2011). Determination of genetic structure of germplasm collections: are traditional hierarchical clustering methods appropriate for molecular marker data?. Theoretical and applied genetics, 123(2), 195-205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-011-1576-x
Parachnowitsch, A. L., Raguso, R. A., & Kessler, A. (2012). Phenotypic selection to increase floral scent emission, but not flower size or colour in bee‐pollinated Penstemon digitalis. New Phytologist, 195(3), 667-675. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04188.x
Paul, I., Poddar Sarkar, M., & Bhadoria, P. B. S. (2022). Floral secondary metabolites in context of biotic and abiotic stress factors. Chemoecology, 32(2), 49-68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00049-021-00366-0
Reich, P. B., Wright, I. J., Cavender-Bares, J., Craine, J. M., Oleksyn, J., Westoby, M., & Walters, M. B. (2003). The evolution of plant functional variation: traits, spectra, and strategies. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 164(S3), S143-S164.
Restiani, R., Prasetyaningsih, A., & Sibarani, D. S. (2024). Browning Prevention Method in Kepel (Stelechocarpus burahol (Blume) Hook. f. & Thomson) in Vitro Culture. Jurnal Pembelajaran Dan Biologi Nukleus, 10(1), 243-253. https://doi.org/10.36987/jpbn.v10i1.5464
Ricklefs, R. E., & Miles, D. B. (1994). Ecological and evolutionary inferences from morphology: an ecological perspective. Ecological morphology: integrative organismal biology, 1, 13-41.
Rodrigues, P. M. S., Schaefer, C. E. G. R., de Oliveira Silva, J., Ferreira Júnior, W. G., dos Santos, R. M., & Neri, A. V. (2018). The influence of soil on vegetation structure and plant diversity in different tropical savannic and forest habitats. Journal of Plant Ecology, 11(2), 226-236. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtw135
Santos, R. C., Pires, J. L., & Correa, R. X. (2012). Morphological characterization of leaf, flower, fruit and seed traits among Brazilian Theobroma L. species. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 59(3), 327-345. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-011-9685-6
Santosa, I., & Noorwatha, I. K. D. (2025). Symbolic and aesthetic fusion in Keraton Surakarta: colonial influence and Javanese cultural resistance through architectural design adaptation. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 12(1), 2482456. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2025.2482456
Saputra, Y., Anindita, D. C., Hadiyanti, N., Supandji, S., & Hapsari, L. (2024). Characterization and impact of planthopper (Sanurus indecora) infestation on kepel (Stelechocarpus burahol) plants. Jurnal Ilmiah Pertanian, 21(3), 174-181. https://doi.org/10.31849/jip.v21i3.19003
Saunders, R. M. (2020). The evolution of key functional floral traits in the early divergent angiosperm family Annonaceae. Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 58(4), 369-392. https://doi.org/10.1111/jse.12645
Sellin, A., Tullus, A., Niglas, A., Ounapuu, E., Karusion, A., & Lohmus, K. (2013). Humidity-driven changes in growth rate, photosynthetic capacity, hydraulic properties and other functional traits in silver birch (Betula pendula). Ecological Research, 28(3), 523-535. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-013-1041-1
Silberbauer-Gottsberger, I., Gottsberger, G., & Webber, A. C. (2003). Morphological and functional flower characteristics of New and Old World Annonaceae with respect to their mode of pollination. Taxon, 52(4), 701-718. https://doi.org/10.2307/4135543
Zhang, A., Tariq, A., Quddoos, A., Naz, I., Aslam, R. W., Barboza, E., ... & Abdullah-Al-Wadud, M. (2025). Spatio-temporal analysis of urban expansion and land use dynamics using google earth engine and predictive models. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 6993. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92034-4
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal La Lifesci
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
