Plants on Shore of Lake Chon

Mt. Paektu, a famous mountain of Korea, stands in the northern part of Korea. It is 2,750 meters above sea level.

Lake Chon was formed when water was collected in the crater after the eruption of a volcano on the mountain. Hundreds of species of plants are growing around the lake. The plants are characterized by short-time growth compared with those in other places. They grow for about five months from mid-May when temperature rises above zero and thaw begins, to mid-October when the temperature falls below zero. They grow fast, beginning to grow late and fading early.

A typical plant, evergreen yellow rhododendron, grows everywhere around the lake. Rhododendron blooms beautifully in the snow in early June when the ice on the Lake Chon doesn’t melt with snow still found in many parts around the lake. It is a special flower of Mt. Paektu showing the strong spirit of growing in cold snow.

In July and August, beautiful white, yellow, light pink and purple flowers bloom, forming a carpet of flowers. The flower is beautiful and large, compared with the stalk. The colours are diverse and clear. Sweet and fragrant blueberry and edible plants including fernbrake are widely distributed around the lake.

There are also a lot of aromatic plants such as Juniperus sibirica and medicinal plants including Rhodiola elongate and milk vetch.

Another unique scene of the lake is the 20- or 30-centimetre thick moss of various colours such as blue, white and grey.

Mt. Paektu is famous worldwide for the water of Lake Chon representing the soul of Korea and diverse flora.