Evergreen Forest on Oeyeondo Island, Boryeong

The evergreen forest on Oeyeondo Island extends along the ridge behind the village. It is made up of evergreen broad-leaved trees such as Machilus, camellia, spotted laurel, Elaeagnus glabra, Dendropanax, mountain holly, Japanese spindle, Zanthoxylum armatum, Japanese pittosporum, marlberry and red oak, together with evergreen vines such as Korean ivy and Asian jasmine. It also contains deciduous broad-leaved trees such as hackberry, Manchurian lime, elderberry, aphananthe, silk tree, Japanese pepper tree, harlequin glorybower, mono maple, cudrania, mountain mulberry, paper mulberry (Broussonetia kazinoki), paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera), multiflora rose, spindle tree, angelica tree, Chinese sumac, Sichuan pepper, sawtooth oak, Mallotus, a smooth-spined prickly ash, a fruiting currant, spindle tree, Mysore thorn, snowbell, shrubby securinega, jetbead, winged spindle, Japanese beautyberry, downy buckthorn and privet; deciduous vines such as Boston ivy, two species of clematis, skunk vine, kudzu, wild grape, chinaroot greenbrier, Oriental bittersweet, moonseed, sinomenium and another wild grape species; and herbaceous plants such as the native spring orchid, Japanese chervil and a yellow-flowered crucifer. There are two traditions about the origin of the camellias here: one holds that islanders brought them back centuries ago while travelling south; the other credits General Tian Heng of the Chinese state of Qi, who, pursued by Han forces, fled here with his soldiers, and when forced to surrender is said to have crossed alone back to China and taken his own life to protect the safety of his soldiers and the islanders. The evergreen forest on Oeyeondo Island, Boryeong, has long been protected as a seonghwallim, a sacred grove believed to guard and watch over the village, and as one of Korea's representative evergreen forests it also has great value for biological research; it is therefore designated and protected as a natural monument.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Boryeong, Chungnam

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물