Gwangyangeupsu Grove and Retusa Fringe Trees

The retusa fringe tree's Korean name is explained in two ways: one holds that it comes from the way the whole tree is covered in white flowers when in bloom, resembling boiled rice (ibap); the other holds that, because it flowers around ipha, the solar term marking the start of summer, it was first called 'ipha-mok' and this later became 'ipap-namu'. The age of the retusa fringe tree in Gwangyang's Yudang Park is not known; it stands 10.8m tall with a girth at breast height of 3.42m. Partway up, its trunk divides into two large limbs, giving the tree an attractive overall shape. Compared with other retusa fringe trees it was once notably well balanced in form, but poor drainage and other factors have left it in poor condition, and management measures are now in place to protect it. Yudang Park is the site where, in the twenty-third year of King Jungjong of Joseon (1528), after the town wall of Gwangyang was built, trees were planted so that the town would not be visible from the sea. Although the wall itself no longer survives, trees planted at that time - hackberries, zelkovas and retusa fringe trees among them - remain, and this is one of them. Planted at first as a military screening wood to conceal the wall, the grove came, in an area much afflicted by typhoon damage, also to serve as a windbreak protecting against damage from the wind; it is thought to be this important function that has ensured its protection down to the present. Gwangyangeupsu Grove and Retusa Fringe Trees stand as cultural evidence of our ancestors' military practices and of their wisdom in guarding against sea winds, and, as an especially large and old specimen of its kind, the tree also has great biological conservation value; the site is accordingly designated and protected as a natural monument. Note on change of heritage name: the designation was changed from the former 'Retusa Fringe Tree of Gwangyang Yudang Park' to 'Gwangyangeupsu Grove and Retusa Fringe Trees' (13 September 2007). Gwangyangeupsu, comprising both the Yudang Park area and Gwangyang Forest (Indong Forest), is a historic village grove bearing various historical records, and the designated area was expanded so that it could be preserved together with the previously designated retusa fringe tree. Gwangyang Forest (Indong Forest), in front of Gwangyangdong Elementary School, is made up of hackberries, zelkovas and other trees and is used by local residents as a place of rest.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gwangyang, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물