Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
Identifying Features
Plant Family: Ginkgoaceae
Native Range: Northeastern Asia
Leaf: deciduous, alternate, simple, in clusters of 3 to 5 on short spurs, fan-shaped
Twig and Bud: twigs covered with knobby spur twigs
Flower, Fruit and Seed: fruit is actually a naked seed, tan to orange in color, plum-shaped, messy and smelly
Bark: gray, furrowed with flattened ridges
Shape and Mature Height: mature tree shape is variable, height 40-80 feet
Garden Value and Considerations
Ginkgo trees feature distinctive fan-shaped leaves which turn a brilliant shade of yellow in autumn. Only male trees are typically used in the landscape as the fruits produced on female trees are smelly and messy.
Notes
Considered living fossils, Ginkgo trees are one of the oldest living trees with fossil records dating back more than 200 million years. They are unique trees with their own division in the plant kingdom.