Ⅰ. Assumption:
Mo-kam-ju, Koelreuteria paniculata is a woody plant mainly cistributed over Northern China. Its sporadic growth along the beaches of Korea and Japan is assumed to have been sowed by the seeds transported adrift on the current across the ocean.
Ⅱ. Use and Growth of the Plant:
In China, this plant has been cultivated from early times mainly at temples, its seeds being used as rosaries, its flowers for yellow dyes and medicine for the eyes, and its leaves for black dyes.
In Korea and Japan, these plants have been cultivated at temples and used as the material for rosaries. No natural growth of these plants was reported until 1919.
Ⅲ. Discoveries:
In this domestic area, Dr. Chung Tae Hyun discovered the plant on the beach between Cho-Do and Chang-san-kot, Hwang-Hae Prov. in 1920. The reporter discovered them on the beach at Buk-Ni, Duk-jot-Do in 1948, at An-Hung in 1956 and on the beach at An-min-Do in 1957.
In the Japan area, it was discovered for the first time twenty years ago, mainly along the coast line of the Japan Sea and some along the eastern coast line, at Subo, Yamaguchi Prefecture facing the Pacific Ocean.
Ⅳ. Study and Experiment:
A. Seed
The seed coat is thick, non-permeable and floatable. A number of seeds were immersed in artificial sea water and fresh water separately. The seeds remained there for a hundred and forty-five (145) days from April 6, 1957 to August 29, 57. Thirty one seeds out of the fifty immersed in salt water and twenty seeds out of the fifty immersed in fresh water remained on the surface of the water, proving them to be non-permeable to both sea and fresh water.
Of course, these had retained their germinating capabilities. Five (5) seeds out of twenty from the fresh water and six (6) out of thirty-one from the sea water were successfully germinated after a hole had been drilled in the seed coat and they had been planted.
Thus their floating capability, non-permeability and germinating capability after a possible 145 day trip on the flowing currents has been poved satisfactory according to the assumption made above (See Table 5).
B. Current
As shown in the Data 2 and 3, the sea current initiated in the Pohai Sea flows westward down along the coast line of Korea reaching the southern part during the autumn and winter seasons. This fact also is in favor of the reporter´s assumption.
V. Discussion and Conclusion:
The reporter concludes that, as discussed above, Koelreuteria paniculata which originates in Northern China is transported adrift on the flowing sea current to our western coast line, and also the coast lines of Shantung and Kuangtung of China and it is germinated on the sandy beaches forming new plants.
Thus, the seeds drifted down on the southern beach of Korea and have been transported to the Japanese coast. adrift on the Tae-Ma current.
Upon fruitien. the seeds of the plants which settle on the coasts of western Korea and Japan will migrate to new places. It can be, however, assumed that while the thitkness and non-permeability of the coat enables the long travel in the water, this also can compose a difficulty in germination, consequently in developing a new distribution of this species.
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