Ginkgo

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba); native to China, also spelled gingko and known as the maidenhair tree are large trees, normally reaching a height of 66�115 feet. The tree has an angular crown and long, somewhat erratic branches, and is usually deep rooted and resistant to wind and snow damage. Young trees are often tall and slender, and sparsely branched; the crown becomes broader as the tree ages.

A combination of resistance to disease, insect-resistant wood and the ability to form aerial roots and sprouts makes ginkgos on of the longest-lived trees, with some specimens in China claimed to be more than 2,500 years old.

The LEAVES are unique among seed plants, being fan-shaped with veins radiating out into the leaf blade, sometimes bifurcating (splitting), but never anastomosing to form a network. Two veins enter the leaf blade at the base and fork repeatedly in two; this is known as dichotomous venation. The leaves are usually 2�4 in, but sometimes up to 6 in long. The Leaves of long shoots are usually notched or lobed, but only from the outer surface, between the veins. They are borne both on the more rapidly growing branch tips, where they are alternate and spaced out, and also on the short, stubby spur shoots, where they are clustered at the tips. During autumn, the leaves turn a bright yellow, then fall, sometimes within a short space of time (one to 15 days).

Ginkgos are dioecious, with separate sexes, some trees being female and others being male. Pollen bearing cones are produced by the male and FRUIT- like ovules are produced by female trees. When fertilized, the ovules produce SEEDS.

Whether for city streets or people’s yards, the male trees are preferred. Female trees bear a fruit-like product which, after dropping on a street or driveway, not only emits a foul odor, but is also slippery.

Ginkgo BRANCHES grow in length by growth of shoots with regularly spaced leaves, as seen on most trees. From the axils of these leaves, “spur shoots” (also known as short shoots) develop on second-year growth. Short shoots have very short internodes (so they may grow only one or two centimeters in several years) and their leaves are usually unlobed. They are short and knobby, and are arranged regularly on the branches except on first-year growth. Because of the short internodes, leaves appear to be clustered at the tips of short shoots, and reproductive structures are formed only on them.

The Ginkgo is a unique tree species with no close living relatives; it is a LIVING FOSSIL, recognizably similar to fossils dating back 270 million years. Although cultivated in North America for over 200 years, it has never become significantly naturalized here.

Ginkgo is a relatively shade-intolerant species that grows best in environments that are well-watered and well-drained.

Ginkgo biloba has been used medicinally for thousands of years. Today, it is used for the treatment of numerous conditions and is one of the top-selling herbs in the United States.