Unique ginkgo tree

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32636, 18 June 1971, Page 11

Unique ginkgo tree

The ginkgo tree is a unique member of the plant family, apart from being a most desirable ornamental subject for the garden. It is the only existing species of its genera and the only surviving member of a family of plants which were once both numerous and widespread throughout the world in the Mesoic and Tertiary eras, fossil remains having been found in many countries. Charles Darwin called it a living fossil. Ginkgo biloba, to give the species its full name, is thought to be a native of Eastern Asia, though no specimens have ever been found growing in the wild. Its survival is almost definitely owed to Chinese and Japanese temple gardens where it was cultivated as a holy tree. Many such trees of great age are growing around Buddhist temples. It was thought to have been introduced into Europe about the early part of the eighteenth century, from where it gradually was raised elsewhere as its popularity grew. The ginkgo is commonly called the good luck tree. “Touch it and your wish comes true’’—-one can but try. Another more familiar name for it is maiden hair tree derived from the close resemblance of its leaves to the' plant of that name.

It is dioecious which means that male and female flowers are carried on different plants. There is some difference in the shape of the trees, the crown and trunk differing with the sex. Male trees of the species tend to have straight slender trunks and narrow crowns; female specimens tend to have a wide crown. It is classified as a conifer but does not clearly display any of the familiar characteristics associated with those trees. Its leaves are deciduous, broad, fan shaped, dichotomous; on young twigs and vigorously growing trees they appear alternatively but tend to be bunched on older trees. Flowers are produced on older trees but are not often seen. They are windpollinated but the method by which it achieves fertilisation is again unique. The fruits, when produced are bright yellow-green, plum shaped and unpleasant smelling. The grey-white stone—the seed, within the fleshy covering, contains an oily kerne! which is edible and considered a delicacy by the Japanese. Propagation is usually by means of seed. The percentage germination, however, is low and the initial rate of development over the first year or two is slow. Plants can also be raised from cuttings, by layering and grafting but these methods

are much more difficult than the first one.

The ginkgo would rank highly on any list of outstanding specimen trees. The unusual shaped foliage is a fresh light green colour throughout spring and summer and changes to a delightful orange-yellow before falling. Colour is enhanced in colder areas. The tree itself is symmetrical with spaced branches which taper towards the top; the canopy of foliage never presents a dense effect even when in full leaf.

The tree is slow growing and takes many years to attain real height. For this reason alone it should not be placed in a position exposed to prevailing winds.

It is very hardy once established being quite capable of withstanding low temperatures without ill effect Although it is tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions it prefers one which remains moist during the summer.

Its capabilities of withstanding atmospheric pollution far better than most trees makes it an ideal subject for town planting. It seems to be impervious to insect attack and diseases do not seem to bother it

The photograph shows the characteristic shape of the leaves of Ginkgo biloba, their bunched habit of growth, and the fruit