Population of Royal Azaleas in Gajisan Mountain

Basic information

Designation

Natural Monument No.462

Category

동식물

Designated year

2005

Location

울주군, 울산광역시— 울산광역시 울주군 상북면 덕현리 산 232-2

Coordinates

35.616664, 129.015962

The Population of Royal Azaleas in Gajisan Mountain covers the top of the mountain and spreads across Ulju-gun in Ulsan, Miryang in Gyeongsangnam-do and Cheongdo-gun in Gyeongsangbuk-do. The royal azalea is a deciduous tree of the rhododendron family, which is commonly found on mountains all over Korea. Back in the Silla Dynasty when Suro, wife of SunJeonggong who was governor of Gangneung during the reign of King Seongdeok, wished for an azalea, a passing farmer picked one from a tree and brought it to her. This tale, titled “Heonhwaga,” is told in Samguk-yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), indicating how much Koreans have loved azaleas since the olden days. Azaleas usually constitute a shrub layer in forests of broadleaf trees. However, the royal azaleas in Gajisan Mountain include some 40 trees 100 - 450 years old, with height of 3.5-6.5m and crowns 6-10m across, as well as another 219,000 azalea trees covering an area of 981,850m2 at the top of the mountain. For this reason, these azaleas are highly prized for their beauty and their academic importance. As the center of Gajisan National Park, Gajisan Mountain stands 1,240m high, making it the highest of the eight famous mountains of Yeongnam. The flora around the azalea groves includes 432 kinds of plants: 4 classes, 35 orders, 81 families, 225 genus, 3 sub-species, 69 varieties, and 21 kinds. The area is also known as a habitat for rare animals (Natural Monuments) such as great Black Woodpecker, Golden Eagle, Grey Frog Hawk, and Eurasian Eagle-Owl.

Location