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Scientific Name:
Ginkgo biloba
Pronunciation:
GINK-go by-LO-buh
Common Name:
maidenhair tree, ginkgo
Family Name:
Ginkgoaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Upright with some horizontal branching; leaves flat, leathery, fan-shaped, bi-lobed, densely clustered, dichotomous venation. Winter ID: stubby spur shoots on some branchlets; buds globular, about 3mm wide, orange-brown.

Habit:
Horizontal, Open, Spreading
Form:
Irregular, Oval - vertical, Pyramidal - widely
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
22 - 30m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China (southern China)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate, Low
Landscape Uses:
Accent plant, Cut flower or foliage, Fall interest, Shade tree, Specimen plant, Street (boulevard tree)
Additional Info:
Google. Specimens in China are over 50m tall and 2500 years old. A non-conifer gymnosperm with a habit that can vary greatly with cultivar. Dwarf forms include G. 'Chi Chi', G. 'Spring Grove', and G. Witches Broom.

Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Lobed
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Parallel venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Other
Apices:
Apiculate
Bases:
Cuneate
Margins:
Pinnately lobed
Additional Info:
Spectacular fall colour, fan-shaped like maidenhair fern and with dichotomous venation (when closely examined); edible

Inflorescence Type:
Catkin (ament)
Flower Morphology:
Dioecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Colour (petals):
Not showy, Green-yellow
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May, Jun
Additional Info:
male - catkin-like to 8cm long; female - round, solitary; no true flowers (it's a gymnosperm)

Fruit Type:
Drupe
Fruit Colour:
Yellow, Green
Fruiting Time:
Oct, Nov
Additional Info:
Showy, Accessory tissue, Distinctive Smell, Drupe-like and resembles a golden plum; usually in pairs; fleshy outer layer enclosing an oval seed (gymnosperm); about 2cm long; edible but stinky like rancid vomit when decaying so usually only male tree cultivars are planted on residential properties even though they will not form in the first 20 to 40 years (a protected species in many municipalities)

Bark Morphology:
Lightly fissured
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey
Leaf Bud Type:
Rounded or globular
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Organ Modifications:
Lignotubers on trunks, branches form when stressed
Propagation:
Seed, Softwood cuttings, Grafting
Pest Susceptibility:
Fungal leaf spot, Nematodes, Root rot (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Drought tolerant)
Specific Pests:
(Very pollution resistant)

Course(s):
  • CLT Training
  • Level 3 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
  • (BHE)  Boulevard by Hwy. 10 Eastend
  • (GRB)  GRass Bed
  • (GRBW)  GRass Bed West
  • (ONW)  Overpass North side West : 606
  • (PDE)  PonD East : cv. Witch's Broom
  • (PDW)  PonD West : cv. Spring Grove
  • (TFL)  Turf Field Lab
  • (TFLN)  Turf Field Lab North
Location Map