Mr. Jeong Kwang-soo, Director-General of Korea Forest Research Institute, announced that Rhododendron brachycarpum community with red flowers and peculiar genetic structure was found on Ulleung Island and another community with various and outstanding genes in Mt. Hambaek for the first time.


Rhododendron brachycarpum belongs to a family of azaleas and grows in certain alpine regions, namely, Mt. Jiri, Mt. Sorak, Mt. Hambaek, and Ulleung island. It is an endangered species. As the scientific term is called (it means a cure-all plant in Korean), it is a well-known medical plant often used as a pain killer among people so it has been in danger due to over-picking and environmental changes.


Rhododendron brachycarpum has been well-developed and is being used as a gardening plant in Japan and western countries. It is 1~4m tall, and grows well with other alpine plants and in high-humid areas.


Korea Forest Research Institute has researched and analyzed Rhododendron brachycarpum communities so as to predict the genetic changes and preserve these rare species systematically.


They analyzed the genetic variation of Rhododendron brachycarpum communities in Mt. Jiri, Mt. Sorak, Mt. Hambaek, and Ulleung Island, by collecting leaves from each community. The result is that the plant community in Mt. Hambaek has got a high mark in Ae (1.4 : the number of alleles) so it is very worth preserving it.


What a high variety of genes means is that the species might survive global warming and dramatic environmental changes and have potential values for biotechnology and breeding.


The plant community on Ulleung island is inhabited in the limited areas of geological distribution. Interestingly enough, while most Rhododendron brachycarpums’ flowers are white, the flowers on Ulleung island are red. It has unique genes, compared to other communities so it has horticultural values and academic values in terms of geographical botanic.



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