This Geek Loves Ginkgo

Two weeks ago I found myself in Smithfield, Va. and came across one of my favorite trees, the Ginkgo biloba. The leaves were at their seasonal peak, and knowing the habit of this tree, if I had been there a day later most of the leaves would have been carpeting the ground. This particular Ginkgo had been butchered to make room for the utility lines, which is why I did not take a larger shot. Not only is this one of my favorite trees, it was planted in front of one of my favorite houses in a town full of architectural gems. Like a lot of houses in Smithfield, the Gwaltney Mansion is built on a foundation of ham. In my part of the world, when Smithfield ham is served at wedding receptions, the marriage will be happier. The dead will rest easier if it is on the buffet after the funeral, and Christmas would be just another day off without it. That's enough talk about pork, let's look at trees.

There are several reasons that the Ginkgo is one this plant geek's favorite trees. First of all, it is a living fossil that began appearing 270 million years ago, and it is the only currently living species in the Ginkgoaceae family. Think of all the plants that would show up at a family reunion of the Rosaceae, Cupressaceae or the Magnoliaceae families, you would need to rent a ballroom. The surviving members of the Gingoaceae family could hold their reunion in a phone booth. The Ginkgo has been planted and revered in Asia for thousands of years, but there is considerable doubt that any wild ones still remain. This tree will outlive its planter, and there are specimens in China over 1000 years old. One of the reasons this tree is so long lived, is that it is tough. It can tolerate temperatures in zones 3 to 8, and even into zone 9. It can survive in urban areas with heavy pollution, and it will live where other plants fail in those awful holes in concrete sidewalks that are well-intentionally left for trees. It is also very salt tolerant. I planted one for my parents next to their marsh, within sight of the Atlantic that is covered by salt water at least once a year and it thrives.

Here are a few more shots of a specimen in a local Norfolk park. These were taken just before the leaves turned golden earlier in November.

A very poignant, but great example of the Ginkgo's durability, comes from Hiroshima. When the atomic bomb was dropped on the city near the end of WWII, most living things in the city-center were killed instantly, but four Ginkgo trees managed to survive. Their charred broken trunks re-sprouted where they were planted and thrive to this day.

I found a great website created by Cor Kwant on the Ginkgo at:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~kwanten/index.htm

It includes pictures of the surviving Hiroshima Ginkgo trees at:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~kwanten/hiroshima.htm