Ginkgo biloba is a relic deciduous plant up to 40 m high, with a fan-shaped bilobed leaf shape unique for gymnosperms, on thin petioles up to 10 cm long. Ginkgo Biloba is a dioecious plant, male trees produce pollen in catkin-shaped collections; seed buds on long stalks develop on female trees. Ginkgo Biloba trees are pollinated by the wind in late spring, at the age of 25-30, only then it becomes possible to say whether it is female or male.

The name ginkgo comes from the Chinese word gin-kyo, which means silver plum, referring to the fruit of the female Ginkgo Biloba tree, which looks like a mirabelle plum on a long stalk. The Ginkgo Biloba plant occupies a special position. The Ginkgo Biloba tree is neither a coniferous tree (although it has cones) nor a deciduous tree, and today it is rightfully considered the most famous living fossil, as it was distributed in Central Europe in the late Tertiary period about 30 million years ago. The Ice Age pushed this interesting plant into a small area in China, and now Ginkgo Biloba grows wild only in eastern China. Ginkgo Biloba trees have survived the arrival of foot-and-mouth disease, the first birds, and the coming and going of mammoths.

Currently, Ginkgo Biloba is widely cultivated in most botanical gardens. In landscape gardening ornamental plant. In decorative gardening, it is valued for the beauty of openwork foliage. Ginkgo biloba trees are well resistant to strong winds and snowdrifts. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow and quickly fall off.

Types of Ginkgo Biloba, description, photo by height and preference:

Ginkgo Biloba (Ginkgo Biloba - Ginkgo biloba)

Ginkgo biloba original majestic deciduous tree with openwork foliage. At a young age, it has a conical shape, in the future this regularity is lost, with age it is wide with spreading long, slightly branched branches. Often slow growing when young. At 30 years old, it reaches about 8-12 m in height, mature plant 15-20-30 (35) m high and 10-15 (20) m wide, annual growth 35-40 cm high and 25 cm wide. The leaves are light green, fan-shaped, leathery, with long petioles . Bright golden yellow in autumn. Frost tolerant, shade tolerant, heat tolerant, urban climate, severe air pollution. Doesn't get sick in Europe. Soil and moisture requirements are low and grows well in all cultivated soils, moderately dry to moist, acidic to alkaline. The roots are strong rod deep. Old trees form aerial root growths on the underside of strong branches and trunk, which can reach a meter in length. Little is known about their purpose, since they grow vertically to the ground, it can be suggested that these are the remains of organs that once existed, replacing roots and performing their functions, which were in extinct Ginkgo species that once lived in marshy forests. Recommended for large gardens and parks, roadside alleys, in single plantings. Winter hardiness zone 5A

Ginkgo Biloba (Ginkgo biloba) "Horizontalis"

Creeping or slightly drooping tree. Variety "Horizontalis" is more common in standard form as a small tree with slow-growing horizontal shoots, forming a flat umbrella crown with widely spaced branches. The height depends on the place of inoculation, the trunk is about 2.5 - 4.5 in height, in old age the width becomes equal to the height or even exceeds it. Shoots are strong, arranged horizontally. At the age of 10 years, the crown is about 2 m wide. Other features and preferences as in other representatives of the species. Recommended as a tapeworm. Winter hardiness zone 5A

Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo biloba) "Mariken"

An excellent dwarf variety with a spherical or flat-spherical dense crown, with short shoots, thick, spaced or raised branches, usually grafted onto a tall stem. At the age of 10 years, it grows up to 1 m in diameter. It is usually grown in a standard form, so the height depends on the grafting site. Other features and preferences as in other representatives of the species. Recommended for single planting in small gardens and for container arrangements. Winter hardiness zone 5A

Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo biloba) "Pendula"

Similar to "Horizontalis". More often it is offered in standard form as a small tree with slightly weeping branches forming an umbrella crown, which at the age of 10 years reaches up to 2 m in diameter. Other features and preferences as in other representatives of the species. Used in small areas and Japanese gardens. Winter hardiness zone 5A

Ginko biloba (Ginkgo biloba) "Saratoga"

A small deciduous slowly growing tree, at the age of 30 reaches up to 7-9 m in height. The leaves are leathery, fan-shaped, slightly corrugated along the edge, located at the ends of the shoots. Other features and preferences as in other representatives of the species. Recommended for small gardens. Effective in single landings on lawns. Winter hardiness zone 5A

Ginko biloba (Ginkgo biloba) "Tit"

Dwarf slow-growing cone-shaped variety, reaching about 1.5 m in height at the age of 10 years. The branches are dense, rigid, raised, with characteristic knots. Other features and preferences as in other representatives of the species. For small plots and Japanese gardens. Winter hardiness zone 5A

Ginko biloba (Ginkgo biloba) "Tremonia"

An interesting columnar variety, reaching at the age of 30 years about 10 m high and 0.8 m wide. The branches are arranged vertically along the trunk. Other features and preferences as in other representatives of the species. It is used as a tapeworm in gardens and as an avenue tree in urban landscaping. Winter hardiness zone 5A

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Ginkgo biloba(two-bladed) appeared in the Mesozoic era, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. His homeland is China. But even there, ginkgo does not grow everywhere. These trees are almost absent in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (in the northwest, not far from Kazakhstan), where there is a sharply continental arid climate. Adult ginkgo can be seen not only in the countries of the East. Unfortunately, there are none in the Moscow region. Attempts by amateurs to grow this legendary tree on their site contribute to the development of zoned ginkgo varieties and attract the attention of professionals to it.

Is ginkgo coniferous?

Ginkgo is often mistakenly referred to as a conifer. With reservations that its needles were reduced to leaves that fall off in autumn. With conifers, this plant is united only by the fact that both conifers and ginkgo belong to gymnosperms. This is where their relationship ends. Ginkgo is a member of the family Ginkgoaceae (Ginkgoaceae), in which there is only one genus - Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo Biloba), i.e. "Ginkgo biloba". This tree has real leaves. They are partially separated by a notch so that the surface of most leaflets has two lobes. In China, very old trees have been preserved, which are more than two thousand years old! It is believed that ginkgo came to Japan from China not without human help. Ginkgo, or "silver apricot", has fruits that resemble apricots.

The smell of the pulp of the shells is nauseating. In autumn, the Chinese go to the parks with whole families to collect these fruits, the core of which is then used as a medicine or in cooking.

They immediately separate the nuclei on the spot, leaving heaps of slippery shells on the ground.

There are no zoned ginkgoes yet.

Ginko has not yet been zoned. The seedlings for sale come from the seeds of trees growing in warmer or milder climates. Often, sellers are cunning, convincing buyers of the winter hardiness of this plant. There are reports on the Internet about successful cultivation ginkgo biloba on plots in the Moscow region. But no one specifies the further fate of not seedlings, but adult trees.

Everyone has the same question: “How long can ginkgo live in open ground in outskirts of Moscow?" City parks still do not have these magnificent trees, the crown of which glows amber in autumn. Several small trees available in Moscow are far from ideal. Sooner or later, all young ginkgoes wintering without shelter become very cold or die. Freezing often occurs at the level of the snow cover. Over the summer, ginkgo can recover and even add in growth. Insulation with spruce branches, non-woven material or other means helps as long as the tree has a small growth. It is impossible to cover a tall tree with a luxurious crown. Where to get such a huge dome? I came to the conclusion that if the goal is not to systematically work on the zoning of ginkgo biloba, then it is not worth tormenting it. This plant is not yet adapted to overwintering in the open ground in our conditions. The risk of losing it from freezing and aging is too high. The frosty winters that ginkgo sometimes endures are not the rule, but a coincidence of favorable factors. Which, alas, is not always repeated.

I unsuccessfully tried to accustom the ginkgo to life in the open field. She grew seedlings herself from fruits freshly picked in China. Some of the seedlings were left at home for the winter. They spent the winter in a basement with a small window or on a loggia glazed throughout the wall. During the summer, ginkgo pots were put outside. This option, as time has shown, was the most successful. Ground ginkgo after a few years of "torment" had to be transplanted into pots.

Now all my ginkgo grows in pots and no longer winters outdoors.

What's more real?

Ginkgo, "by definition", should be a tall tree, even if not thirty meters. This is a dioecious plant. Female trees bear fruit after 20-30 years. In our climate in the open field, it is more realistic to grow ginkgo biloba in bush form. This is facilitated by the active formation of root shoots. Another option is a low ginkgo garden bonsai. But it will have to be not only insulated for the winter, but also protected from rodents. Keeping trees in containers is safer. I am convinced that for the conditions of the Moscow region, the most good option is the cultivation of ginkgo not in open ground, but in containers suitable for this, which are transferred indoors for the winter. Of course, efforts to regionalize Ginkgo biloba cannot be stopped. It is wonderful that not only professionals are involved in this business, but also many amateurs who understand the full degree of risk.

ginkgo bonsai

Ginkgo makes amazing bonsai.

Competent pruning transforms ginkgo. Beijing Botanical Garden

A stunted tree can live for many years even in a small container. The dwarf form attracts with the possibility of creating the most unexpected options. In China, I saw a lot of ginkgo bonsai. The most incredible. There were very old hollow trees that were kept on bark and a thin layer of wood. Some dwarf trees had trunks fused with stones. But this is already "aerobatics".

Ginkgo Bonsai. Botanical Garden, Beijing

We often create ginkgo bonsai in an accelerated way. Some of them look quite natural.

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There are very few relic trees that have been preserved on our planet, which are of great scientific value. One of them, undoubtedly, is the ginkgo biloba tree, listed in the Red Book. In this article, we will talk in detail about where it was preserved in natural conditions, present its description and photo.

Fossil finds of ginkgo biloba date back to the beginning of the Jurassic period. Later, in the course of evolution, it was replaced by flowering plants due to the rapid change of generations, as well as active seed production.

Ginkgo in different peoples

In the recent past, ginkgo biloba was classified as EW (disappeared in the wild), but quite unexpectedly, scientists managed to find two wild, and possibly feral, plant populations in Zhejiang province (China).

In England, Ginkgo biloba was called the “maiden's hair tree”: its leaves are associated with the foliage of the maidenhair fern, which has another name - “Venus hair”.

The "Goethe tree" is still called it in Germany. The great poet, who was fond of botany, dedicated poems to him. The French called ginkgo biloba "a forty-ecu tree." Such a strange name was given to him by the botanist Petigny, who in 1780 acquired five seedlings in Britain, each of which cost him 40 silver coins.

In the botanical gardens of the United States, the leaves of the "dinosaur tree" collected by visitors are made original jewelry. To do this, they are treated with a special solution, covered with gilding. This is how unique earrings or brooches are made.

Discovery of the relic

In Japan in 1690, a plant new to science was discovered. Physician Engelbert Kaempfer, who served at the Dutch embassy in Nagasaki, showed interest in a tree with unusual leaves that looked like the famous Japanese fan. Medium-sized silvery-yellowish fruits have an extremely bad smell rancid oil. Local merchants sold its seeds in their shops, which the Japanese first soaked in salt water in order to beat off the smell, and then boiled or fried.

Name history

Kaempfer first described the tree and gave it the name Ginkgo, while slightly distorting the name of the fruit in Japanese - Yin-kwo. It translates as "silver apricot". European scientists, who knew only the prints of ginkgo on stones, saw these ancient plants for the first time in the first half of the 18th century. The first seedlings were brought to Western Europe, to the botanical gardens of Milan and Utrecht, then to England, and then to North America.


At first, new trees gave botanists a lot of trouble. In the French city of Montpellier, the female specimen bloomed, but did not set fruit, and many wanted to grow an ancient tree in their gardens. The way out of this difficult situation was not found immediately: a branch for grafting from a male specimen was searched for a very long time, but was found only in England.

In Russia, the plant appeared in 1818 in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. These trees have perfectly taken root, grow and develop in the Caucasus. Ginkgo biloba, a photo of which can often be seen in publications on landscape design, are grown in almost all botanical gardens in the former Soviet Union.

Today, Muscovites and guests of the capital can see ginkgo in the open ground in the Botanical Garden of the Academy. K. A. Timiryazev, in the botanical garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and in the greenhouses in VILAR at exhibitions are presented ornamental trees and shrubs of ginkgo biloba, bonsai.

More recently, the gardeners of the Nizhny Novgorod, Bryansk regions, and the Moscow region began to actively grow the plant.

Spreading

In nature, ginkgo biloba, which once had a wide range, has been preserved only in China's Tian Mu Shan Nature Reserve. The tree grows in mountain broad-leaved forests at an altitude of 1.1 thousand meters above sea level, as a rule, along the banks of streams, on steep slopes and rocks. Prefers high humidity and acidic soils.

Ginkgo biloba: description

This is a relic gymnosperm plant. The genus includes one modern look. Ginkgo biloba is a tree up to 40 meters high with a spreading or pyramidal crown. The bark is rough, gray, in adult specimens covered with deep cracks. The bulk of the trunk is wood, like all modern conifers. But unlike them, ginkgo has no resin.

The leaves are light green, fan-shaped, slightly wavy along the edge, leathery, but very soft, usually dissected into two lobes. In autumn, they are painted in a bright golden yellow hue.


Ginkgo is a dioecious plant, male and female flowers can be on different trees. The first flowering occurs late, not earlier than at the age of 25, in late May or early June. Pollination occurs by wind. Immediately after fertilization, seeds are set that look like drupes with fleshy shells. By November, they become yellowish or gray-green.


Chemical composition

More than 40 different useful substances were found in ginkgo leaves, the main of which are recognized as flavonoid glycosides (24%) and terpene trilactones (6%). They are necessary for patients with cerebral circulation disorders. Scientists associate the activity of ginkgo with them. Organic acids and proanthocyanidins were found in the leaves of the plant, which contribute to the good solubility of substances, as well as steroids, flavonoids, wax, polyprenols, and sugars.

And in the seeds of ginkgo, toxic substances have been identified, and there are much more of them than in the leaves. In Europe, they are used for the manufacture of medicines. When an alcohol extract is obtained from the leaves, all toxins disappear.


Ginkgo biloba extract has a wide spectrum of action. In older people, when taking the drug, nervousness decreases, memory improves and sleep normalizes. On the basis of experiments, anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory effects were established. Preparations based on ginkgo prevent the formation of blood clots, reducing blood viscosity, and normalize lymph flow.

Usage

Ginkgo has been successfully used in both folk and traditional medicine. IN last years in pharmacies, a lot of preparations from the leaves of the plant appeared:

  • Memoplant.
  • "Tanakan".
  • "Pigobil".
  • "Ginkgo forte".
  • Bilobil and others.

modern medicine medicinal properties this ancient plant became known relatively recently - only in the middle of the last century. But it must be admitted that scientists relied on the vast experience of using the leaves of the tree in oriental medicine.


Li Shizhen in his famous work "Great Herbs", which was published in 1596 in China, highly appreciated the properties of the tree in the treatment of diseases of the heart, lungs, Bladder and liver. Preparations from the leaves of the plant are prescribed for cerebrovascular accident, which is accompanied by headaches, dizziness, memory loss, ringing in the ears. In addition, they are recommended for atherosclerosis and hypertension, peripheral circulation disorders caused by smoking and diabetes.

Ginkgo strengthens blood vessels (capillaries, veins and arteries). The plant is also used in cosmetology - preparations based on it slow down skin aging, help to lose weight. It is important that medicines made from ancient tree have no side effects.


Growing Ginkgo

This tree is undemanding to soils, loves well-lit, sunny areas, tolerates short-term temperature drops to -30 °. For active growth and development, it needs moist soil, but the plant categorically does not accept stagnant moisture.

IN middle lane In our country, ginkgo must be covered for the winter. Under such conditions, plants develop only in bush form and grow very slowly. In a milder climate (Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine, southern regions of Russia), ginkgoes grow up to 15 meters in height and bear fruit regularly. Ancient relics are quite resistant to viral fungal diseases, as well as to industrial smoke. They are rarely attacked by pests.


reproduction

Plants are propagated in two ways - seed and vegetative. In the first case, the seeds are sown in the nutrient soil of the nursery, at the end of April, where the seedlings develop within 2 years. To increase the germination of ginkgo seeds, they are stratified for three months at a temperature of 5 ° C. By the end of the first year, the seedlings grow only 20 cm. In the third year, they are transplanted to a permanent place.

Vegetative propagation allows the use of not only green, but also lignified cuttings, shoots from roots and stumps. They take root quite difficult, so it is recommended to use growth regulators. This is the most efficient way to save decorative forms, of which there have been many in recent years.


  • The Chinese call ginkgo the silver apricot or white fruit. They eat its seeds as a dessert on very big holidays.
  • Extremely hardy plants. Trees that survived the atomic bomb explosion in 1945 still grow in Hiroshima.
  • The leaf extract, which improves blood circulation, is used in traditional medicine by Oriental physicians in the treatment of senile dementia and schizophrenia.
  • For a long time, ginkgo was considered an aphrodisiac, but recent studies have not confirmed these properties of the plant.
  • Excessive consumption of the seeds of the plant can cause methylpyridoxine poisoning.
  • Components of the juicy shell often provoke severe allergies in people prone to such reactions.
  • The acid in the seeds makes them bad smell. During the ripening period, the tree emits such a peculiar aroma that only male specimens are planted in parks and squares.
  • For several centuries, ginkgo has been used as a very effective landscape gardening culture, creating magnificent bonsai compositions.

Taoist monks considered this plant a symbol of yin and yang energy, believing that the tree is the keeper of wisdom. Contemporaries prefer to grow ginkgo biloba as a universal remedy for preserving youth and intelligence. How to ensure proper care for a unique relic plant - this article will tell.

Ginkgo biloba: famous varieties and varieties

In the botanical world, they have long argued about the belonging of ginkgo to a particular family. The thing is that the plant is botanically closer to coniferous crops. For a very long time, ginkgo was attributed to gymnosperms, representatives of this group are pine and spruce trees. However, the striking differences between the tree and conifers allowed scientists to suggest that ginkgo biloba is a direct descendant of ancient ferns. It is believed that these plants were widespread in the Mesozoic era, and their habitat extended to the territory of modern Siberia.

Healing tree - ginkgo biloba

Currently, wild thickets of trees are found in China. In the Russian territory, ginkgo plantings can be found in small numbers on the Black Sea coast.

Ginkgo biloba is a deciduous plant with a unique leaf blade shape: a tree leaf looks like a fan, the width of which reaches 8 cm. A rather large leaf is supported by a thin long petiole (up to 10 cm). With the onset of autumn cold, the leaves quickly fall from the trees.

There are two types of leaves: the first grow one at a time on a separate petiole, the second type is characterized by shorter petioles, on which 4 separate leaves sit. The first type of leaves grows and develops very quickly; the second type - considerable time is spent on the full development of the leaf. In the photo you can see two types of tree leaves.

Two kinds of leaves

Unique plants are divided into male and female: ginkgo refers to dioecious plants.

  • The male tree is covered with catkins, in which pollen ripens for pollination of females.
  • Female plants bear special rudiments in which seeds are tied after pollination.

It is possible to distinguish which type a tree belongs to only at the age of 25 - 30 of its life, only then special signs appear.

Pollination in nature occurs in the spring months with the help of wind, which carries the ripened pollen over considerable distances. Fruit ripening lasts until late autumn. Ginkgo seeds are protected by a three-layer rind and have an extremely unpleasant odor.

ginkgo biloba fruit

There are trees that have survived to the 2500th anniversary. Unique photos of gigantic trees that have survived centuries-old anniversaries make it possible to be convinced of the beauty and impressiveness of these plants.

Ginkgo biloba: the right fit

When choosing a place to plant a tree, you should immediately foresee that the plant will need a very large area, while the location should be the brightest - ginkgo is a light-loving culture. A place for growing must be chosen permanent - the tree does not tolerate transplanting very well.

In the first years of life, for about three years, culture practically does not grow. At this time, the development and strengthening of the root system takes place.

young plants

Seedlings are placed in special pits filled with fertile soil. When planting, you need to strictly monitor the location of the roots - they must be straightened and located freely in the pit. Requires uniform periodic watering - you can not dry the roots in the first years of life.

Advice! With a close occurrence of groundwater at the landing site, it is better to choose a drier place.

Seedling care - growing a healthy tree

Caring for a young tree comes down to periodic watering, loosening the soil and freeing the plant from weeds. Ginkgo is a very hardy tree that tolerates many growing conditions.

Advice! In winter, the tree should be covered with snow or spruce branches. The lower ends of the branches may freeze, but with the advent of spring, the branches will quickly cover the green leaves.

Nutrients can be applied to the planting hole: ash or mineral fertilizers. In summer, young seedlings can be fed with complex compounds, introducing them in liquid form under the root or in the form foliar feeding by leaves.

Pests and diseases do not harm the tree

Ginkgo biloba rarely gets sick, the plant is very resistant to any kind of disease. IN winter period the bark of the stem can be gnawed by mice and hares.

Ginkgo reproduction

You can propagate a rarity tree with the help of seeds and layering.

layering you need to take from mature trees, it is best when it is already definitely known whether it is a male or female specimen. Chopped cuttings are rooted in greenhouses in light soil. This operation should begin in the first half of summer. When rooting cuttings cut from the mother plant with part of the wood, it is useful to use root stimulants. Leaves from the cutting are removed up to 50%.

Important! Rooted cuttings develop slowly and require daily spraying on the leaves, especially in hot weather.

Only have high germination seeds ginkgo is freshly harvested, therefore, during seed propagation, germination directly depends on the freshness of the seeds. The seeds of the plant resemble apricot pit, only have a white color.

Ginkgo biloba seeds

Sowing seeds can be done in early spring. They are closed in boxes to a depth of up to 7 cm. Film shelter will increase the percentage of seed germination and shorten the time for obtaining young plants. Ginkgo shoots begin to appear about a month after sowing. Trees grow slowly, giving very little growth. Seedlings can be planted in a permanent place in a year.

Ginkgo biloba has a huge list useful properties used to prepare all kinds of medicines, which have a beneficial effect on the rejuvenation of the body. It is worth growing this rarity because of the unusual nature of this culture.

Growing a rare culture of Ginkgo Biloba: video

Ginkgo Biloba: photo






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