GINKGO

also called Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo biloba), tree that is the only living representative of the order Ginkgoales. This order included a group of gymnosperms composed of the family Ginkgoaceae, which comprised approximately 15 genera that date from the Permian period of the Paleozoic era, some 286 to 245 million years ago. Extinct genera, such as Ginkgoites and Baiera, are known from fossilized leaves that are similar to those of the present-day tree. The ginkgo, native to China, is often termed a living fossil because it is unclear whether uncultivated groups of ginkgo can be found in the wild. It has been planted since ancient times in Chinese and Japanese temple gardens and is now valued in many parts of the world as an attractive, fungus- and insect-resistant ornamental tree. It tolerates cold weather and, unlike most gymnosperms, can survive the adverse atmospheric conditions of urban areas. A ginkgo tree is pyramidal in shape, with a columnar, sparingly branched trunk up to 30 m (100 feet) tall and 2.5 m (8 feet) in diameter. The fissured bark is grayish, deeply furrowed on older trees and has a corky texture. The light-coloured wood, soft and weak, has little economic value. Fan-shaped ginkgo leaves resemble the leaflets of the maidenhair fern and are borne on short, spurlike but greatly thickened shoots. The leathery leaves are up to 8 cm (3 inches) long and are sometimes twice as broad. Two parallel veins enter each blade from the point of attachment of the long leafstalk and fork repeatedly toward the leaf edges. Most leaves are divided into two lobes by a central notch. Dull gray-green to yellow-green in summer, they turn golden yellow in autumn, remaining on the tree until late in the season, and then fall rapidly. Male microsporangia (pollen-forming structures) and female ovules are borne on separate trees. Pollen grains are carried to the female trees by the wind. Female trees bear paired ovules, which, when fertilized, develop into yellowish, plumlike seeds about 2.5 cm (1 inch) long, consisting of a large nut surrounded by a fleshy outer covering. The nut is silvery in colour (the word ginkgo is derived from the Chinese and Japanese words for silver nut or silver apricot) and when roasted is considered a delicacy. The ripened fleshy covering has a very disagreeable odour, making the female tree less popular for garden planting. Several varieties are available for landscape use, including columnar types and others favoured for finer growth habit, better fall colour, and other desired qualities.