1. Morphological characteristics

Ginkgo is a large deciduous tree with a diameter at breast height of up to 4 meters. The bark of saplings is nearly smooth and light gray. The bark of large trees is grey-brown and irregular. Split, rough; with long branches and slow-growing sparse branches. Scattered on long branches and clustered on short branches. Its leaf veins are in the form of "bifurcated veins". It turns yellow before the leaves fall in autumn. It blooms in April and matures in October. The seeds have long stems and droop, often oval, long-obovate, oval or nearly spherical.

2. Growth Habits

Ginkgo loves light, has deep roots, and has wide adaptability to climate and soil. It can grow in areas with high temperature, rainy weather, sparse rainfall, and cold winters. Slow or poor; can grow on acidic soil (pH value 4.5), calcareous soil (pH value 8) and neutral soil, but is not tolerant to saline-alkali soil and overly wet soil.

It grows best in areas with an altitude below 1,000 meters (1,500-2,000 meters in Yunnan), a warm and humid climate, an annual precipitation of 700-1,500 mm, deep soil, fertile and moist soil, and good drainage. Heping It will not survive or grow poorly even in places with infertile and dry soil or excessive moisture on rocky slopes.

3. Value of Ginkgo

1. Edible, the seeds are for food (eating too much can lead to poisoning) and for medicinal purposes. The fleshy outer testa of the seeds contains ginkgo acid, ginkgo alcohol and ginkgo phenol, which are toxic. Ginkgo can inhibit bacteria and sterilize, dispel diseases and relieve coughs, resist waterlogging and inhibit insects, relieve turbidity and lower serum cholesterol. In addition, Ginkgo can reduce lipid peroxidation levels, reduce freckles, moisturize the skin, and create a beautiful appearance.

2. The trunk of the ginkgo tree is straight, and the wood is a high-grade material for making musical instruments and furniture. Ginkgo wood is high quality and expensive, and is known as "Ginkgo wood" or "Silver wood". Ginkgo wood has glossy texture, straight texture, fine structure, easy processing, no warping, strong corrosion resistance, easy painting, low nail digging force, special medicinal fragrance, and strong moth resistance.

3. The ginkgo tree is tall and straight, with fan-shaped leaves. The crown is large and shade-shaped, which has a cooling effect. The leaves are quaint in shape and have a long life span. It is free from pests and diseases, does not pollute the environment, and its trunk is smooth and clean. It is a famous pollution-free tree species, which is conducive to the reproduction of ginkgo and adds to the scenery.

4. Ginkgo has strong adaptability and is an ideal tree species for fast-growing and high-yield forests, farmland protection forests, road protection forests, bank protection forests, beach protection forests, village protection forests, forest-grain intercropping and "four side" greening. It can also be used as a bonsai.

5. It can be used both medicinally and cosmetically.

Extended information:

Ginkgo first appeared in the Carboniferous period 345 million years ago. Ginkgo was once widely distributed in Europe, Asia, and America in the northern hemisphere. Ginkgo was once widely distributed in the northern hemisphere during the Mesozoic Jurassic and began to decline in the late Cretaceous. By 500,000 years ago, they were extinct in most parts of Europe, North America and Asia, with only those in China surviving.

The value of Ginkgo lies not only in its ability to survive across the "historic period", but more importantly in its ability to maintain the genetic stability of the species during this long "geological period".

There are wild trees in Tianmu Mountain, Zhejiang, growing in natural forests at an altitude of 500-1000 meters, acidic (pH value 5-5.5) yellow soil, and well-drained areas. Fruit trees and other coniferous and broad-leaved tree species are mixed and grow vigorously.

The ginkgo tree is used as the city tree by Chengdu City, Dandong City, and Linyi City. Changxing Ginkgo in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province can be called the "Hometown of Ginkgo". Pizhou is the hometown of ginkgo and one of the five major ginkgo producing areas in China. Pizhou Ginkgo Expo Park: Located in Gangshang Town, Pizhou City, it was officially established in 2002. It was approved as Jiangsu Provincial Ginkgo Forest Park in May 2002 and as a national Ginkgo Expo Park in April 2004. It is the only single-tree species national forest park in China.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Ginkgo Tree