English: Ginkgo tree, Maidenhair tree
Chinese: 银杏
Natural history
Ginkgo is one of the oldest species of living trees in the world with a fossil record going back over 150 million years. It was at one time native to North America and widespread throughout the world during the Mesozoic Era. Ginkgo biloba is native to China where its wild population is either extinct or greatly reduced. Interestingly, G. biloba is the only surviving species of the order Ginkgoales, the survival of which is attributed to its cultivation and preservation in Chinese monasteries. It is from such sites that the ginkgo tree was eventually redispersed throughout much of the world as an ornamental plant. Despite its appearance, the Ginkgo tree, like pine trees, is a gymnosperm, which means naked seed, and does not produce flowers nor fruits.
The Ginkgo tree is deciduous and easily recognizable by its fan-shaped leaves growing in fascicled bundles, a configuration similar to that of most pine trees. There is only a single Ginkgo tree on the Fort Lewis College campus in the alcove between the Berndt and Chemistry Halls, but Ginkgo trees can be found around downtown Durango where they contribute to the mosaic of fall colors for which Durango is renowned.
Human history and use
Though Ginkgo trees do produce seeds, they are rarely present on ornamental trees because seed-producing female trees are not often planted due to the foul odor of its seeds as they ripen. The fleshy layer of Ginkgo seeds is edible and prepared as a delicacy in parts of Asia. Ginkgo is also considered to have numerous medicinal properties in traditional Chinese medicine and can often be found as a dietary supplement in many health food stores.
References:
Dirr, M. 2009. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their identification, ornamental characteristics, culture, propagation and uses, 6th edition. Stipes Publishing LLC, Champaign, IL.
Murrel, Z. E. and E. Gillespie. 2021. Vascular Plant Taxonomy. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.
Whetstone, R. D. 1993. Ginkgoaceae, pp 350-351 in Flora of North America Editorial Committee [eds.] Flora of North America North of Mexico, Vol. 2. Oxford University Press, New York.
Photo credit:
Photos by Mike Jacob.