Would you be surprised if I told you that a tree you can grow in your backyard is a living fossil, that it has existed essentially unchanged for 270 million years, since before the time of the dinosaurs? Yet this is the case with the ginkgo or maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba).
In the past, ginkgo trees were found all over the world, even as far north as the Canadian Arctic, where fossils of them can still be found today. But European scientists believed they had been extinct for millions of years… until a German botanist, Engelbert Kaempfer (1651–1716), rediscovered this curious tree in temple gardens in Asia in 1692. The tree caused such a stir when it was imported into France that it sold for forty gold coins, an inestimable price at the time. In fact, the first tree imported into France, in Montpellier, still exists today. There are specimens in Asia that are over 2,500 years old!
A most curious tree
The ginkgo is curious in every way. Its method of reproduction, for example, is very primitive. The embryo is exposed to the open air, without any covering, which places the tree in the large family of gymnosperms, along with conifers. But conifers are much more modern trees. The female tree produces large yellow fruits, about the size of a plum, but these have not yet been pollinated when they form. So, if there are no male trees in the area, the fruit will form without a fertile embryo, like a chicken egg without a chick inside. People in the East love the fruit and eat it raw and cooked. In the West, they are not tolerated because they stink when they start to rot. Male ginkgo trees are preferred for cultivation.
The foliage of the ginkgo tree is unique: fishtail-shaped, with two lobes. It cannot be confused with any other plant. The leaves fall in the fall, another surprising detail for a close relative of conifers.
Until very recently (and still in almost all books), it was said that ginkgo was unknown in the wild and that it had been saved from extinction by Buddhist monks a long time ago. However, botanical observations made since the mid-20th century and more recent genetic analyses have confirmed that truly wild ginkgo populations exist in two small forests in China, and that their genetic diversity is much greater than that of cultivated ginkgo trees, indicating that they are indeed natural populations and not trees that have escaped from cultivation.
Easy to grow, but slow
Canadian gardeners can grow this living fossil at home, as it is zone 4 hardy. It is also a very easy tree to grow, adapting to full sun and a variety of well-drained soils. Although it can reach 20 m in height, its growth is very slow, especially when young, after which it can grow a few dozen centimeters per year. Buy a good-sized tree if you want to create an interesting effect in your lifetime! The trees sold in Canada are produced by grafting or cuttings and are all male… so they don’t bother us with their fruit.
You will hardly need to treat ginkgo trees for pests: they are remarkably resistant, although a few minor insects or diseases may occasionally attack them. They are even resistant to radiation, as proven by the survival of ginkgo trees in the center of Hiroshima in 1945.
I have a suggestion for you: ginkgo is the ideal tree to plant when a child is born. That way, on their 100th birthday, they will have a wonderful story to tell their great-grandchildren!
Larry Hodgson has published thousands of articles and 65 books during his career, in both French and English. His son, Mathieu, has made it his mission to make his father’s writings accessible to the public. This text was originally published in the newspaper Le Soleil on January 1, 2008.
These used to be popular street trees in San Jose. Unfortunately, some of the old trees were grown from seed, so some are female.
What’s wrong with the ?. I love gingko fruit. There is a female tree / male treesvery old (won’t tell you where) . I visit late fall just to see the fruit.