Hampyeong Yangjaeriui Fringe Tree

The ipapnamu, or fringe tree, is said to take its name from the way the whole tree is covered in white blossom when it flowers, resembling ibap, or boiled white rice. It is also said to have first been called ipamok (立夏木, "Ipha tree"), because it blooms around Ipha, the solar term marking the start of summer, and that this name changed over time from ipamok to ipanamu and finally to today's ipapnamu. Two fringe trees are designated at Yangjae-ri in Hampyeong. One stands 14 m tall with a girth of 3.04 m, while the other is markedly smaller, standing 12 m tall with a girth of 1.43 m. Judging by their size, the larger tree is estimated to be about 200 years old and the smaller about 100 years old, suggesting they were planted roughly a century apart. The two trees stand side by side on a hillock behind Sujeongjae, a building owned by Mo Su-taek, a resident of Yangjae-ri. Almost every large, old fringe tree in Korea carries much the same story: that the abundance or scarcity of its blossom can be used to foretell whether the year's harvest will be bountiful or poor. Because the fringe tree thrives where water is plentiful, it blooms profusely when rainfall is adequate and poorly when it is not; since the amount of rainfall also affects rice cultivation, this legend is thought to have arisen from long years of observing nature. The fringe trees of Yangjae-ri in Hampyeong are old and large, and of great biological conservation value, and have accordingly been designated a monument for protection.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Hampyeong, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물