_ < Ginkgo tree in Autumn. Photo by Josip Barišić, Zagreb, Croatia (2010).
Briefly. Ginkgo. What is it?
Ginkgo (or Maidenhair tree) is one of the oldest species on this planet, growing almost unchanged 100 and more million years ago. These trees are grown as horticultural plants and on plantations for commercial use. The leaves have a specific form. The tree can live up to 4500, and often over 1000 years.
Ginkgo grows very slowly and the trees can be very large. Ginkgo trees can be extremly large but they grow very slow. There are male and female plants. Female plants bears fruit in Autumn, which is similar to plums. The fruit is in the middle of a hard seed such as nuts and it can be used as food.
The Ginkgo is a unique tree with no close living relatives. For centuries it has been believed that Ginkgo has extincted in the wild, but now it is known to grow wild in at least two small areas in eastern and southeastern China.
The Chinese people traditionally use leaves and fruit nuts, for food and medicine. And although the fruits and leaves of this plant has been used in China for nearly 4-5,000 years, its usage in Western medicine did not begin until the 1950s. Ginkgo is a medicinal plant. Modern science has confirmed this. Major of Ginkgo leafs is being used for tea, and for Ginkgo extract from which we can get variety of medications. Today, Ginkgo is grown on all continents.
General information
Scientific name:Ginkgo biloba L. 1771 Pronunciation: gink-go bye-lou-buh Common name(s): Maidenhair Tree, Ginkgo, Ginko, Gingko etc. Family:Ginkgoaceae Clim. zones:4/5 - 8/9 (optimal 6-9a) Origin: China Uses: Bonsai; wide tree lawns (>8 feet wide = >cca 2.5 m); medium-sized tree lawns (4-8 feet wide = 1.5-2.5 m); recommended for buffer strips around parking lots or for median strip plantings in the highway; specimen; sidewalk cutout (tree pit); residential street tree; tree has been successfully grown in urban areas where air pollution, poor drainage, compacted soil, and/or drought are common Availability: generally available in many areas within its hardiness range
DESCRIPTION
Height: 50 to 75 feet (15 to 25 m) Spread: 50 to 60 feet (15 to 20 m) Crown uniformity: irregular outline or silhouette Crown shape: round; pyramidal Crown density: open Growth rate: slow Texture: medium
Foliage
Leaf arrangement: alternate Leaf type: simple Leaf margin: lobed Leaf shape: fan-shapedLeaf venation: parallel; palmate Leaf type and persistence: deciduous Leaf blade length: cca 2 to 4 inches (cca 5-12 cm) Leaf color: green Fall color: yellow Fall characteristic: showy
Flower
Flower color: green Flower characteristics: pleasant fragrance; inconspicuous and not showy; spring flowering
Fruit & seed
Fruit shape: oval; round Fruit length: cca 1 to 1.5 inches (cca 2-3 cm) Fruit in 1 kg: cca 200 Fruit covering: fleshy Fruit color: green; yellow Fruit characteristics: does not attract wildlife; inconspicuous and not showy; fruit, twigs, or foliage cause significant litter Seed lenght: >0.5 inches (>1.5 cm) Seed in 1 kg: cca 600-1200 piec.
Trunk & Branches
Trunk/bark/branches: droop as the tree grows, and will require pruning for vehicular or pedestrian clearance beneath the canopy; showy trunk; should be grown with a single leader; no thorns Pruning requirement: needs little pruning to develop a strong structure Breakage: resistant/not resistant Current year twig color: brown; gray