Gingko Or Maidenhair Tree (gingko Biloba)
Distinguishing characters: The *peculiar branches* of this tree *emerge
upward* from a straight tapering trunk *at an angle of about 45 deg.*
and give to the whole tree a striking, Oriental appearance, which is
quite different from that of any other tree, Fig. 44.
Leaf: Like that of a leaflet of maidenhair fern, Fig. 45.
Range: A native of northern China and introduced into eastern North
America.
Soil and location: The gingko will grow in poor soils.
Enemies: Practically free from insects and disease.
Value for planting: It makes a valuable tree for the street where heavy
shade is not the object and forms an excellent wide-spreading
specimen tree on the lawn.
Other characters: The _fruit_ consists of a stone covered by sweet,
ill-smelling flesh. The tree is dioecious, there being separate male
and female trees. The male tree is preferable for planting in order
to avoid the disagreeable odor of the fruit which appears on the
female trees when about thirty years old. The male tree has a
narrower crown than the female tree. The buds (Fig. 46) are very odd
and are conspicuous on the tree throughout the winter. The leaves of
the gingko shed in the winter. In this respect the tree is like the
larch and the bald cypress.
The gingko belongs to the yew family, which is akin to the pine
family. It is therefore a very old tree, the remains of the forests
of the ancient world. The gingko in its early life is tall and
slender with its few branches close to the stem. But after a time
the branches loosen up and form a wide-spreading crown. In the
Orient it attains enormous proportions and in this country it also
grows to a fairly large size when planted on the open lawn or in
groups far apart from other trees so that it can have plenty of room
to spread. It then produces a picturesque effect of unusual
interest.
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Tree Studies
How To Identify Trees
Group I The Pines
The White Pine (pinus Strobus)
The Pitch Pine (pinus Rigida)
The Scotch Pine (pinus Sylvestris)
Group Ii The Spruce And Hemlock
The Norway Spruce (picea Excelsa)
Hemlock (tsuga Canadensis)
Group Iii The Red Cedar And Arbor-vitae
Red Cedar (juniperus Virginiana)
Arbor-vitae; Northern White Cedar (thuja Occidentalis)
Group Iv The Larch And Cypress
The European Larch (larix Europaea)
Bald Cypress (taxodium Distichum)
Group V The Horsechestnut, Ash And Maple
The Horsechestnut
The White Ash (fraxinus Americana)
Sugar Maple (acer Saccharum)
Silver Maple (acer Saccharinum)
Red Maple (acer Rubrum)
Norway Maple (acer Platanoides)
Box Elder (acer Negundo)
Group Vi Trees Told By Their Form: Elm, Poplar, Gingko And Willow
American Elm (ulmus Americana)
Lombardy Or Italian Poplar (populus Nigra, Var Italica)
Gingko Or Maidenhair Tree (gingko Biloba)
Weeping Willow (salix Babylonica)
Group Vii Trees Told By Their Bark Or Trunk: Sycamore, Birch, Beech,
Blue Beech, Ironwood, And Hackberry
The Sycamore Or Plane Tree (platanus Occidentalis)
Gray Or White Birch (betula Populifolia)
American Beech (fagus Americana)
Blue Beech Or Hornbeam (carpinus Caroliniana)
Hackberry (celtis Occidentalis)
Group Viii The Oaks And Chestnut
White Oak (quercus Alba)
Black Oak (quercus Velutina)
Red Oak (quercus Rubra)
Pin Oak (quercus Palustris)
Chestnut (castanea Dentata)
Group Ix The Hickories, Walnut And Butternut
Shagbark Hickory (hicoria Ovata)
Mockernut Hickory (hicoria Alba)
Black Walnut (juglans Nigra)
Group X Tulip Tree, Sweet Gum, Linden, Magnolia, Locust, Catalpa,
Dogwood, Mulberry And Osage Orange
Tulip Tree (liriodendron Tulipifera)
Sweet Gum (liquidambar Styraciflua)
American Linden (tilia Americana)
The Magnolias
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Informational