Population of Retusa Fringe Trees in Pyeongji-ri, Jinan

The name 'ipatnamu' (Retusa fringe tree) is said to come from the way the whole tree is covered in white blossom at flowering time, resembling 'ibap', or cooked white rice; another account holds that because the tree flowers around Ipha, the start of summer in the traditional calendar, it was first called 'iphamok' (立夏木, 'tree of early summer') before coming to be known as ipatnamu. The Retusa fringe trees of Pyeongji-ri, Jinan are estimated to be about 280 years old (as of the time of designation), around 12 m in height, with a girth at breast height ranging from 1.42 m to 1.70 m. Seven trees originally grew together beside the walls on either side of the playground at Maryeong Elementary School, but as of 2024 only two remain alive, and their condition is poor. People in this area also call the Retusa fringe tree 'Iam-namu' or 'Ppeot-namu'. The place where the trees grow together is said to have been where the bodies of young children were once buried, and so it was called 'Agi-sari' ('infant burial ground') and was protected within the village; it came to be enclosed within the school grounds once the elementary school was built there. The Retusa fringe trees of Pyeongji-ri, Jinan are not only a cultural resource that has survived through such care by past generations, but also hold great value for research into plant distribution, as they mark the northernmost inland site on the west coast of the Korean peninsula where Retusa fringe trees can grow. They are therefore designated and protected as a natural monument.

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Where it is

Region

Jinan, Jeonbuk

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물