Red Leaf Willow of Deokchon-ri, Cheongdo

The Red Leaf Willow is a tree of the willow family found in Japan, China and Korea. Compared with the ordinary willow it grows taller and has broader leaves, and its leaf stalks and branches are covered in fine hairs, which is how it came to be called the "hairy royal willow." It has been planted as a windbreak or as a shade tree beside pavilions. Growing beside a stream next to Deoksan Elementary School, the Red Leaf Willow of Deokchon-ri, Cheongdo is estimated to be about 200 years old, standing 15.0m tall with a trunk girth of 4.9m at breast height. It is said that in some years all its branches leaf out together in spring, while in others certain branches bud later than the rest. According to local tradition, this pattern in the leafing was taken to foretell whether the year's harvest would be bountiful or poor. Today the tree serves as a resting place for the villagers. The Red Leaf Willow of Deokchon-ri, Cheongdo is a rare variety of willow that has been cared for by generations of villagers over a long period, and as one of the largest and oldest trees of its kind in Korea it holds high biological conservation value, and is therefore designated and protected as a natural monument.

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Where it is

Region

Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물