Botanical Name:

Ginkgo biloba

Common Name:

ginkgo

Family Name:

Ginkgoaceae – ginkgo family

General Description:

Considered a “living fossil”, Ginkgo biloba is one of the oldest trees on earth. Through fossil records it is known to have been growing since the age of dinosaurs and has remained remarkably unchanged in appearance throughout the ages. Native to eastern China, it is now thought to be extinct in the wild. However, ginkgo is a reliable, hardy, urban tolerant tree that can be found planted as an ornamental throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world. In the Chicago area Ginkgo biloba is a common street tree valued for its salt and pollution tolerance and for its ability to withstand both cold and heat. There are a myriad of cultivars available in the trade and care should be given to selecting male forms as the female trees produce a foul smelling seed.

Zone:

4-8(9)

Resources Consulted:

Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses. Champaign: Stipes, 2009. Print.

Earle, C.J., ed. "Ginkgo biloba." The Gymnosperm Database. N.p., 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

The Ginkgo Pages. N.p., 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

Creator:

Julia Fitzpatrick-Cooper, Professor, College of DuPage

Creation Date:

2014

Keywords/Tags:

Ginkgoaceae, tree, conifer, deciduous, ginkgo biloba, ginkgo

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