Population of Royal Azaleas in Gajisan Mountain

The royal azalea population of Gajisan Mountain lies at the summit of the mountain, which straddles Ulju-gun in Ulsan, Miryang in South Gyeongsang Province, and Cheongdo in North Gyeongsang Province. The royal azalea is a deciduous broad-leaved shrub of the heath family (genus Rhododendron), commonly found in mountains throughout the country. It is a flower deeply familiar to the sentiments of the Korean people: during the reign of King Seongdeok of Silla, when Lord Sunjeong was appointed magistrate of Gangneung, his wife Suro wished to have a royal azalea flower, and a passing farmer picked it, presented it to her, and sang the "Song of Offering Flowers" (Heonhwaga) — a legend recorded in the Samguk yusa. Gajisan Mountain stands 1,240 m above sea level. It is the highest of the "Eight Mountains of Yeongnam" along the Nakdong Jeongmaek ridge branching from the Baekdudaegan range, and is the principal peak of Gajisan Provincial Park. The flora of the azalea population and its surrounding area comprises 432 taxa in all, spanning 4 classes, 35 orders, 81 families, 225 genera, 3 subspecies, 69 varieties and 21 forms. Natural monuments such as the black woodpecker, golden eagle, Chinese sparrowhawk, Eurasian eagle-owl, mandarin duck, Korean flying squirrel and Eurasian otter are known to breed or inhabit the area. The royal azalea population on Gajisan Mountain consists of about 40 old, large azalea trees 3.5–6.5 m in height with crown widths of 6–10 m and an estimated age of 100–450 years, together with roughly 219,000 further azaleas, forming a dense population concentrated on the mountain summit; for its great academic and scenic value it is designated and protected as a natural monument.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Ulju, Ulsan

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물