Ginkgo biloba L.
Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree
CLASSIFICATION
Main Group: Plant
Sublevel 1: Gymnosperm
Sublevel 2: Ginkgo
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Family: Ginkgoaceae
Genus: Ginkgo
Species: Ginkgo biloba
STATUS IN NEW ENGLAND
Origin: Introduced
Invasive, Pest, or Pathogen?: No
Rarity Designations: None
BIOLOGY/ECOLOGY
Feeding Type: Photoautotroph
Type of Spores/Gametophytes: Two types of spores, unisexual gametophytes
HABITAT
Wetland Indicator Status: Not Listed
ASSOCIATED SPECIES
NOTES
Native to China. Not naturalized in our area. Commonly planted along streets and in parks and other landscaped areas. Male trees are more often planted because the female trees produce seeds with a foul odor.
The seeds have an outer fleshy layer. When the seeds are ripe (after they have fallen to the ground) they smell like dog feces. The seeds, minus their soft, smelly outer layer, are commonly eaten in Asia. However, the seeds contain toxins, and eating 10 to 50 cooked seeds at one time can cause acute poisoning (Chu 2018). Eating uncooked seeds is considered dangerous and may result in death (WebMD 2023).
This species is often referred to as a "living fossil." The oldest fossil record for its order (Ginkgoales) dates back at least 270 million years ago (before the existence of dinosaurs) (Lin et al. 2021). The ginkgo is considered the only living link between ferns and conifers (Avis-Riordan 2020).
REFERENCES
Avis-Riordan, K. 2020. Ginkgo biloba: the tree that outlived the dinosaurs. 5 May 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. URL: https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/ginkgo-biloba-maidenhair-tree-kew-gardens.
Chu, J. 2018. The Ginkgo – A Living Fossil with Poisonous Seeds. Food Safety Focus (149th Issue, December 2018) – Incident in Focus. Centre for Food Safety. URL: https://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/multimedia/multimedia_pub/multimedia_pub_fsf_149_01.html. Accessed 14 January 2023.
Lin, H-Y, Li, W-H, Lin, C-F, Wu, H-R & Zhao, Y-P 2022. International biological flora: Ginkgo biloba. Journal of Ecology, 00, 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365- 2745.13856
WebMD 2023. Ginkgo - Uses, Side Effects, and More. URL: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-333/ginkgo#:~:text=Ginkgo%20seeds%20contain%20substances%20that%20might%20kill%20the,side%20effects%20like%20seizures%20and%20loss%20of%20consciousness. Accessed 14 January 2023.