Cultivars / Hadong Jaeraejong (Hadong heirloom)
Hadong Jaeraejong (Hadong heirloom)
하동 재래종
The "Hadong" cultivar — formally a jaeraejong (재래종, "native / heirloom variety") — refers to the seed-propagated wild Camellia sinensis var. sinensis population that has grown around Mt. Jirisan, particularly in Hwagae-myeon, since the original 828 CE plantings ordered by King Heungdeok of Silla. Modern phylogenetic analyses (e.g. the 2024 chloroplast-genome study of Hadong Cheon-Nyeon Cha) confirm the population's distinct identity from Yabukita and other modernised cultivars. Hadong-cultivar wild bushes are connoisseur-prized; their semi-wild "children" are the next tier; the Yabukita imports of the 1939 colonial plantings are the commodity-grade material.
Origin region: Hadong
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