Ginkgo
Ginkgo biloba

Height: 50-80´
Habit: wide-spreading and picturesque

Landscape Value:

The ginkgo is a unique if not spectacular choice for the landscape. It is exceptionally free of diseases and pests, transplants easily, is tolerant of almost any soil, and is pollution- and heat-tolerant. In short, it is a good choice for most city sites. It is a slow-grower but will achieve great size, a fact that should be kept in mind when placing a ginkgo. It is dioecious (separate male and female plants), and unless one really enjoys ginkgo fruit, a fruitless male is by far the wisest choice. The fruit smells and creates a maintenance problem beneath the tree and in the house as well, as shoes track the smell everywhere.

Seasonal Characteristics:

• Summer: The light green, fan-shaped leaves grace the large and often picturesque form of the tree. It provides adequate shade as well as a striking appearance.
  
  
• Fall: The leaves turn a variable but often brilliant yellow and fall over a very short span of just a day or two. The leaves then cling to the ground and form a yellow carpet.

Points of Interest:

Ginkgoes are the oldest living cultivated tree and are literally a living fossil. The ginkgo is the only remaining member of its family, which dates back more than 150 million years ago. Inside the putrid, fleshy covering of the fruit is an edible seed that is used in Asian cooking. The name ginkgo in Chinese means "white nut" referring to the white, edible kernel. All trees that are grown today are from those originally Grown around Chinese temples. Ginkgoes no longer exist in the wild and are grown only in cultivation.

Native Range:

China, introduced to the U.S. in 1784.

Link to Ginkgo