Turczaninow Hornbeam of Chamseongdan Altar, Ganghwa

The Turczaninow hornbeam is a plant of the birch family that grows in China, Japan, and in Korea along the west and south coasts, in Samcheok in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, and in Hamgyeongnam-do, among other places. Its leaves are alternate, egg-shaped, pointed at the tip and doubly toothed, with dense hairs along the veins on the underside. Because its leaves are small and its trunk takes on the gnarled form of an old tree, the Turczaninow hornbeam has long been prized as a bonsai material and is a representative traditional tree. The Turczaninow hornbeam of Chamseongdan Altar is 4.0 m tall, with its trunk dividing into eight branches at the root. It has the typical form of a shrub, with a neat, well-balanced crown, and stands out all the more for standing alone atop the stone platform of Chamseongdan Altar. In scale and beauty it can be considered representative of Korea's Turczaninow hornbeams, and since no example of the species had previously been designated as heritage, it has exceptional academic and scenic value and has been designated and protected as a natural monument. * Chamseongdan Altar (塹星壇): the place where Dangun offered rites to heaven (Historic Site).

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Where it is

Region

Ganghwa, Incheon

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물