Ginkgo Biloba Tree

The Ginkgo Tree is one of the stars of mid-November. Many trees and shrubs have already dropped their leaves, closing off the connections from leaf to stem in preparation for the long winter ahead. But Ginkgo biloba and a few others hang in there, sometimes right into December. This is a problem for the homeowner who has to shovel early December snow on top of a load of wet leaves on the sidewalk. The ginkgo is classified in its own division, the Ginkgophyta, comprising the single class Ginkgoopsida, order Ginkgoales, family Ginkgoaceae, genus Ginkgo and is the only extant species within this group. Ginkgos are dioecious, meaning there are males of the species and females of the species, distinct individuals who must each contribute to the sexual reproduction of their kind. Of course, it is much preferred to be living near a male, although the fruits are considered important food crops in East Asia. More on that later. Besides G. Biloba, no other member of the order Ginkgoales exists outside of the fossil record since the Pleistocene. The relatives harken back to the Permian, dating back 270 million years. The relatives and even this species evolved during the Jurassic in an era before flowering plants, when ferns and cycads (Ginkgo’s closest living relative) predominated, forming a low somewhat sparse canopy. This is one reason why Ginkgo biloba is often referred to as a fossil plant. Thought for the longest time to be extinct in the wild, several small areas of seemingly native stands were discovered in very distant parts of China. After the genetic study, these were found to be so similar as to suggest that they were planted from one batch of seedlings. It is thought that these two patches were planted and preserved by Chinese monks over a period of more than a thousand years. Now that’s some environmental activism. Ginkgos are large trees when given the right conditions. Growing in China up to 50 meters (around 150 feet), under cultivation, they generally grow to around ninety to hundred-and-ten feet, with a pretty narrow spread. They prefer full sun, well-drained but rich soil and adequate moisture. But they are supreme survivors and will do well in some very forbidding soils, climates, and conditions. They are extremely pollution tolerant, disease and pest resistant and tolerant of restricted root zones, which makes them a good candidate for a street tree. Not only that, as I mentioned earlier, they are a survivor of more than time: About 4000 feet from the hypocenter of the atomic bomb blast that leveled Hiroshima in 1945, a large Ginkgo tree lived outside of a temple. The shock wave and firestorm completely leveled that area and defoliated the tree, but it budded out the following spring and still lives today, without any major deformities. For this reason, it is called ‘the bearer of hope.’ By the way, the temple was rebuilt, and instead of taking down the tree as was suggested by some, they built around it, with steps on either side. Ginkgo, the national tree of China, has cultural and religious significance in Buddhism and Confucianism. Some cultivated specimens in Japan and China are over 1500 years old. The nutlet is used in congee and other traditional Chinese dishes, such as the vegetarian dish Buddha’s Delight, served for special occasions such as weddings and the New Year. Getting to the nutlet can be a smelly chore, though. Anyone who has experienced the fruit of the tree knows that the olfactory presence is not the most appetizing aroma. When my brother Jeffry attended Haverford College in the early 1960’s, there were two large female Ginkgos planted just outside what was then used as the dining hall. That’s one way to save on comestible costs for a horde of hungry young men. The herbal/medicinal uses of Ginkgo are all debatable. Studies have shown them to be effective in sharpening the memory, and other studies have shown there is no advantage. Besides memory enhancement, Ginkgo has also shown to be effective in delaying the on-set of dementia, easing some of the symptoms of tinnitus, relieving fatigue and contributing to the improvement in cognition. As I always write, this is not an endorsement of herbal uses for this plant, but I only attempt to report what it can or has been used for. Please consult an herbalist, your holistic health practitioner or other quack for helping diagnosing and prescribing cures for what ails ye. (Actually I firmly believe in holistic medicine, so please forgive my loose banter about the nature of that practice)