Trees are arranged by families according to their botanical sequence. Within a genus, trees are arranged alphabetically to facilitate locating a specific species.
Ginkgos are deciduous trees with parallel-veined, fan-shaped leaves. Leaves are lobed and alternate on young growth but borne in clusters of three to five leaves on spurs of older wood. Flowers are dioecious. Fruit is drupe-like with an ill-smelling, outer fleshy coat when fully ripe.
Ginkgo biloba–Ginkgo
Ginkgo (Maidenhair-Tree)–Ginkgo biloba
This native of China is easily identified by the fan-shaped leaves and open, spirally arranged spurs on the central branches or the trunk. The lobed leaves have parallel veination and are distinctive. Leaves are borne alternately on young growth but in clusters of three to five leaves on spurs of older wood. The leaves are unlike other gymnosperms, such as the pines and spruce, which are linear. The stubby spurs are also distinctive and can be seen at a distance. Twigs are stout and stiff. The upper edge of the leaf scar is fringed and contains two bundle scars.
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Flowers are dioecious and borne in May. The fruit matures in early fall and is yellow in color. Pulp is ill-smelling when decaying and surrounds an edible nut or seed. The roasted nut is a favorite in Oriental cooking.
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Ginkgo is commonly planted in Ohio parks, gardens, and private estates. It is noted as an ornamental tree that is resistant to many insects and disease pests. Selected male cultivars are available for landscape planting, but you must be careful, as a number of cultivars introduced as males were late-flowering females. Very slow to establish, ginkgos grow rapidly after a 20-year establishment period. The habit is irregular and not dependable, even in named cultivars. The state champion in Cincinnati, Ohio, is over 80 feet high with a trunk diameter of 100 inches, and a branch spread of 104 feet.