Ginkgo Tree of Jeokcheonsa Temple, Cheongdo

The Ginkgo Tree of Jeokcheonsa Temple, Cheongdo, is estimated to be about 800 years old. It stands 25.5 m tall with a girth at breast height of 8.7 m, forming a single trunk up to a height of 3 m, above which it divides into three branches. It shows an unusually strong development of maenga, newly sprouted shoots, and yuju, lump-like or short, blunt club-shaped growths that form between branches. Yuju are thought to be a kind of malformed root growth; they are commonly seen in Japan but are rare in Korea. Tradition holds that National Preceptor Bojo rebuilt Jeokcheonsa Temple in 1175, the fifth year of King Myeongjong of Goryeo, and that the ginkgo walking stick he had carried and then planted grew into this large tree. The Ginkgo Tree of Jeokcheonsa Temple, Cheongdo, displays a development of yuju rarely seen in Korea, and having grown for centuries under the care and attention of local people, it holds high value as both a biological and folkloric resource, and is designated and protected as a natural monument.

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Where it is

Region

Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물