Ginkgo biloba is a unique tree without any living botanical relatives. It has been classified in a separate division Ginkgophyta, which contains the class of Ginkgoopsida, order of Ginkgoales, family of Ginkgoaceae, genus Ginkgo, and to this day it is the only living species belonging to this division. Ginkgo biloba, also known as the maidenhair tree, is one of the oldest species of trees on the planet. The tree is considered to be a “living fossil”, meaning that it has continued to survive even after major extinction events. It was named the maidenhair tree in England because the leaves look similar to the native maidenhair fern. They have very unique properties and are capable of growing more than 130 feet and can live for over one thousand years. In fact, there are some trees in China are said to be over 2,500 years old.
| Name | Ginkgo biloba |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ginkgo biloba |
| Native | Native to Far East Asia – China, Japan and Korea |
| Common/English Name | Common Ginkgo, Duck’s Foot Tree, Gingko, Gingko Biloba, Gingko Nuts, Golden Fossil Tree, Kew Tree, Maidenhair Tree |
| Name in Other Languages | Slovašcina: Ginko Dvokrpi Icelandic : Musteristré Afrikaans : Vrekboom Ginkyo Vietnamese : Bạch Quả Nepali : Bal Kumari Portuguese : Ginkgo Arabic : Gingko Korean : Apgaksu Hungarian : Ginkgófa Swedish : Gingko Czech : Jinan Dvoulalocný Japanese : Ichou Dutch : Chinese tempelboom Russian : Ginkgo Eastonian : Hõlmikpuu Slovencina : Ginko Dvojlaločné Finnish : Neidonhiuspuu Thailand : Pae Guay Chinese : Ginnan German : Fächerblattbaum Spanish : Arbol Sagrado Greek : Gigko India : Balkuwari Taiwan : Yin Xing Danish : Ginkgo Italian : Ginko Turkish : Fosil Ağacı Bohemian : Ginko Singapore : Pakgor Su French : Arbre Aux Mille Écus South Africa : Vrekboom Croatian : Ginko Norwegian : Ginkgo Brazil : Guincos Polish : Chiński |
| Plant Growth Habit | Deciduous, resinous, dioecious branched tree |
| Growing Climate | Cool temperate species but does not tolerate extreme frost. It thrives best in full sun. |
| Soil | Tolerates a range of soil types but thrives on acidic, well-watered, well-drained, yellow loess. |
| Plant Size | 40 m tall |
| Bark | Light grey or greyish brown bark |
| Trunk | Diameter reaching 1.5 m |
| Leaf | Borne on 3–10 cm long petioles which are channeled on the adaxial surface, lamina is fan-shaped, to 13 × 8–15 cm, mostly 1.5 times wider than long, glossy pale green (resembling those of the maidenhair fern or Adiantum ), turning bright yellow in Autumn, with irregularly toothed or notched upper margins and dichotomously veined. |
| Flower | Female flower display an abundance of ovules in pairs on stalks each containing an egg cell, initially very green, but later turning greenish yellow, then orange and brown. The male flowers are ivory-colored, catkin-like pollen cones (microsporangia), 3–6 on each short shoot containing boat-shaped pollen sacs with widely gaping slit. |
| Fruit Shape & Size | Elliptic, narrowly obovoid, or ovoid, 2.5–3.5 × 1.6–2.2 cm |
| Fruit Color | Green when young turning to pale yellow when mature |
| Seed | Single hard shelled seed |
| Season | October |
| Varieties/Types |
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| Major Nutrition | Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 6 mg (37.50%) Copper, Cu 0.274 mg (30.44%) Carbohydrate 37.6 g (28.92%) Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.328 mg (25.23%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.22 mg (18.33%) Phosphorus, P 124 mg (17.71%) Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 15 mg (16.67%) Tryptophan 0.071 g (16.14%) Threonine 0.268 g (15.23%) Vitamin B9 (Folate) 54 µg (13.50%) Valine 0.283 g (13.40%) Iron, Fe 1 mg (12.50%) Isoleucine 0.209 g (12.50%) Potassium, K 510 mg (10.85%) |
| Health Benefits |
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| Calories in (100 gm) | 182 K cal |