Smithsonian Gardens

Common name: Ginkgo Tree, Maidenhair Tree

Family: Ginkgoaceae (Ginkgo)

Distribution: S China

Habitat: Moist, sandy, well-drained soils

Hardiness: -40 - 20 F

Life form: Deciduous tree

Fall color: Yellow

Foliage characteristics: Green, simple, alternate, lobed, and fan shaped. Leaves of long shoots usually notched or lobed. 2-3" long. Leaves grow on spurs in clusters of 3-5. Have a thick, leathery texture.

Dioecious: Yes

Fruit characteristics: Naked, fleshy, oval seed, grows in clusters of 2-6, and ripens to orange or tan color. Has a foul odor. 1-3". Edible.

Bloom Time: Catkins and ovules produced in April.

Average height: 40-80'

Medicinal/pharmaceutical: Leaves are used medicinally.

Ethnobotanical uses: Nut-like gametophyte is eaten in China and Japan.

Poisonous/toxic: Ginkgo based medicines can interact badly with other medications. Additionally, heavy consumption of ginkgo nut over a long period of time can result in poisoning. Some people are sensitive to flesh coating nut.

Bark characteristics: Gray to brown, ridged

Structure: Conical when young, spreads with age.

Bloom characteristics: Males produce 1" long catkins. Females produce green, naked ovules.

Description: During the Jurassic era, forests of ginkgo-like trees blanketed the ground with their thick leaves. Now, fossils of those leaves are the only evidence we have of relatives of the ginkgo. Until 1690, it was thought by Europeans that fossils were the only evidence of ginkgos overall. That year, the German botanist Engelbert Kaempfer saw the tree in a Japanese temple garden, and the tree was spotted again in China the next year. Samples of the tree were collected, and news of this beautiful plant spread. The tree was given the scientific name Ginkgo biloba, due to the split nature of the leaves the tree produces on its long shoots. As only one type of leaf was collected, the fan-like shape of its other leaf type was undocumented for some time. Eventually, ginkgos became very popular as urban street trees due to their hardiness and beauty – with one caveat. The ginkgo is one of many types of trees that have separate male and female individuals. While the males produce showers of pollen, this is considered manageable when compared to the female's stinking fruit. Although edible if cleaned and processed, ginkgo fruit that has ripened and fallen to the ground can have a scent comparable to cat urine. For this reason, landscapers try to avoid planting female trees. Smithsonian Gardens has a single female tree, as an example.