Gingko Tree Benefits and Considerations

Ginkgoes are large picturesque deciduous trees that give bold accents to landscapes. These trees are one of the earth’s oldest living tree species as they date back millions of years ago when they first grew in temperate regions. Although they’re native trees to southeast China, they also originated from desert regions of central Washington State. Besides beautifying a landscape, ginkgo trees also have medicinal benefits as their leaves have been used in producing a medicine for memory enhancement and circulatory disorders.

Ginkgo Tree Identification

Ginkgo trees, also known as Autumn Gold or Maidenhair Trees, belong to the Ginkgoaceae family. They’re deciduous trees with fan-shaped leaves, notched at the top, that turn yellow in autumn. Female and male trees grow on separate trees. Their tan, brown or gray branches are smooth and their light brown trunks become highly ridged and deeply furrowed with age. Female trees produce tan or orange oval fruit.

Size of Gingko Trees

Ginkgo trees are pyramidal in shape and have horizontal irregular branches. According to the North Carolina State University website, these large trees grow from 40 to 70 feet high with a spread of 20 to 40 feet wide. Leaves are 2 to 3 inches long.

Benefits of Gingko Trees

The ginkgo tree is an excellent shade tree. It’s a vigorous tree able to grow in almost any type of temperate climate and is highly disease resistant. Ginkgoes are resistant to deer, wind, heat and humidity. They adapt well to difficult environments such as poor or compacted soils, drought and air pollution, making them suitable as urban trees. Because they’re exceptionally urban tolerant, ginkgoes are sometimes used as street trees, although they’re often too big for urban areas. These trees are also low maintenance.

Ginkgo Considerations

Ginkgoes are extremely adaptable and can even grow in areas reaching temperatures as low as -20 degrees F, according to Green Web.edu. Good drainage is their most important requirement. They love full sun. Young trees need to be staked and watered during dry conditions until reaching roughly 20 feet high. Although young trees should be pruned in early spring, mature trees need minimal pruning.

Warnings about Ginkgoes

Female trees can be exceptionally messy because of their copious strong scented fruit that can fall on the ground in early fall. When ginkgoes are planted in cities this can be an even worse problem for pedestrian areas.

Growth of the tree can become out of control in restricted areas making the tree unsuitable as a shade tree for a small urban yard. Some trees are prone to have branches that cross the trunk.

Finally, gardeners should enjoy this tree not only for its many qualities such as being disease tolerant and producing a healthy fruit, but should consider it a legacy to leave behind once they’re gone. As these trees live for thousands of years, why not plant a tree for a special event such as the birth of a child. Their beauty can be passed down from generation to generation.

Resources:

North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension: Trees Ginkgo Biloba (date accessed 5/17/2010).

The Green Web: Ginkgo Tree, Maidenhair Tree (date accessed 5/17/2010).