Saw-leaf Zelkova of Singi-ri, Cheongsong

The zelkova is found in warm regions of Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China. Its branches spread out in all directions to give the tree a rounded form; it flowers in May, and its disc-shaped fruit ripens in October. With its thick trunk and long lifespan, it has been used as a shade tree at village resting places, or protected as a dangsan tree believed to guard and watch over the village. The Singi-ri zelkova in Cheongsong is estimated to be around 350 years old, standing 10.0m tall with a girth of 7.5m at breast height. The trunk divides into four at a height of about 2.0m above ground and spreads out at an angle, with some of the branches now dead or decaying. According to tradition, the tree was planted by the founding ancestor of the Indong Jang clan, and it is also said that if leaves open on its lower and upper branches at the same time, the year will bring a good harvest. At one time it was revered as the guardian deity of the village, and on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month the whole village would gather beneath it to hold a communal rite. The Singi-ri zelkova in Cheongsong is an old tree that, as the guardian deity of the village, has stood at the centre of the daily life and culture of our ancestors; with its high value as cultural material, it is designated and protected as a natural monument.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Cheongsong, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물