Yangsansindosi, Abundant Bloom of Endangered Species 'Gasiyeonkkot'

Beomeo Rainwater Pumping Station Reservoir Fully Opened, Offering New Attraction for Citizens

Yangsan City, Gyeongnam Province, announced that a large colony of the endangered level 2 wild plant, Gasiyeonkkot (Euryale ferox), has formed at the Beomeo Rainwater Pumping Station, located in the heart of Yangsan New Town, with over 1,000 flowers currently in bloom.

Yangsan Beomeo Retention Basin.

The retention basin at the Beomeo Rainwater Pumping Station is located in front of Namyangsan Station and is a park open to the public at all times, featuring a decked walking trail, lotus flowers, and various aquatic plants.

Previously, only a few Gasiyeonkkot were observed, but since 2022, they have spread across the entire retention basin, and some blooming was confirmed in 2023. Especially this year, with over 1,000 flowers in bloom, it has become a visual attraction for citizens and a delight for photographers.

Known as Gaeyeon, Gasiyeonkkot is an annual aquatic plant that grows in shallow reservoirs or ponds. The entire plant is covered in stiff thorns, and its round leaves float on the water surface, reaching a diameter of 30 to 120 cm, making them quite large. From July to September, long, arrowhead-shaped flower stalks with thorns rise up, producing purple flowers that open during the day and close at night.

The main habitats are Korea, Japan, China, India, and Taiwan. In Korea, due to development and water pollution, the plant is already extinct or endangered in most areas. This case is a rare sight, as the plant has naturally restored and bloomed in the center of a newly developed city for the first time in 20 years.

With the flower language "Good luck to you," Gasiyeonkkot typically grows in hard-to-access wetlands, making encounters rare. This blooming event is expected to be a unique opportunity for citizens.

Bloomed water snowflake.

Kim Jiuk, head of the Sewage Department, stated, "We will do our utmost to manage the retention basin so that the colony is well preserved and citizens can enjoy the mysterious beauty of Gasiyeonkkot for a long time."