Backyard field guide to Gingko Tree

Ginkgo trees are prized for their tough, hardy natures; a common street tree, it will develop beautiful gold color in autumn and then suddenly drop all its fan-shaped leaves on one day (thanks to a quirk in the manner in which its leaf stems develop)

General information: Ginkgo trees (Ginkgo biloba) are hardy, long-lived trees with distinctive fan-shaped foliage that turns a brilliant yellow in autumn before performing a party trick: ginkgo's leaves drop en masse on a single day Slow to grow but grand in size at maturity, ginkgo trees are best treated as focal points in a landscape When it is autumn, their leaves gradually turn yellow and leave

Species:G. biloba

Type: Deciduous tree

Oldest on record: 1,000+ years

USDA zones: 3-9

Light: Sun or Light Shade

Crown: varies by age

Reproduction: Ginkgo biloba is dioecious, with separate sexes, some trees being female and others being male

Leaves: Gingko Trees are unique as they are fan shaped with veins radiating out into the leaf blade, sometimes bifurcating (splitting), but never anastomosing to form a network

Growth: Gingko trees grow best in environment that are well watered and well drained

Interesting fact: These trees are the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million years ago It is a living Fossil

➢ T The Po nderos a pin e is the mos t wi d ely dis tribu ted pin e specie s i n North A meric a!

➢ I It’s a n ex tre mely large co niferous p i ne spe cies i ndige nous to the mounta inous regio ns i n w es tern North Am erica.

➢ O ne of the South wes ts tall est tress i n m a ny p ar ts of it s ra nge, ov er 200 f eet!

➢ T They te nd to s mell like bu tt ersco tch or v anill a. Which is caused b y a che mic al in th e sap war med b y the sun.

➢ T They gro w a t a bout 13 -2 4” per year (a bout m ediu m rate of grow th)

➢ E Extr emely deep -ro oted s ystem and t aproot maki ng i t a wide -spreadi ng tr ee.

➢ V Very i mport ant for wildlife bec ause they produce s eeds co nsu med b y m any a ni mal s, especially birds!