Korean Box Tree of Yeongneung Royal Tomb, Yeoju

Yeongneung (寧陵), where the Korean box tree stands, is the twin tomb (ssangneung) of King Hyojong (r. 1649–1659), the seventeenth king of Joseon, and Queen Inseon of the Jang clan (1618–1674). It was originally located west of Geonwolleung Royal Tomb in Yangju, but was moved to its present site in 1673, the fourteenth year of King Hyeonjong. The jaesil (the royal tomb caretaker's residence and ritual hall) of Yeongneung is regarded as the finest surviving example among Joseon royal tomb jaesil in the spatial composition and layout of its buildings, and within its grounds a Korean box tree and a juniper grow alongside a zelkova tree more than 500 years old — older than the jaesil buildings themselves — together deepening the historical character of the site. The Korean box tree has thick, oval leaves; it flowers in April–May and its fruit ripens brown in June–July, and it is an evergreen that grows naturally mainly on limestone terrain in the northern part of North Gyeongsang Province, North Chungcheong Province, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and Hwanghae Province. The Korean box tree normally grows small and low, but this specimen has grown unusually large, making it a rare old tree of great biological value. It has also stood for some 300 years within the jaesil of King Hyojong's tomb, Yeongneung, built in 1673, and for its origin and historical significance it is designated and protected as a natural monument.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeoju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물