Ginkgo No 2 – eIrishTrees

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) The Ginkgo tree is also known as a Maidenhair tree. It is often considered a conifer, strictly it is not a conifer but it is in a group of trees of its own. This genus dates from the Jurassic era and is sometimes called a Fossil tree. A second common name is Maidenhair tree, since the foliage is of a similar shape to the foliage on the Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum). In spring, fan shaped venation is particularly noticeable on the young foliage. In some years bright yellow autumn colour develops as the tree sheds its leaves. It was introduced from China in 1758. A specimen in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, is some 220 years old, the two specimens here are ‘pups’. One of these specimens at 1.83 x 16.5 m is listed in Champion Trees a selection of Ireland’s Great Trees as an example of a champion tree in Co. Galway. (Source: Dr Mary Forrest, UCD).