ABSTRACT
Ginkgo is a deciduous tree that can grow more than 35 m (115 ft.) in height. The leaves are variable in shape. The leaf blades are typically fan shaped, but not always with two prominent lobes. Ginkgo trees are long lived, and ancient specimens are often found beside Buddhist and Taoist temples and shrines, where the trees are considered to be sacred. (In former times, temples were commonly built beside wild trees, and it is possible that very old trees on temple grounds represent the remnants of ancient forests.) The species may still grow wild in a small area of southeast China, in remote
mountain valleys of Zhejiang province. It is there that the oldest trees are found, although it is uncertain whether there are any genuinely wild trees, as they may all have been planted. It has been estimated that there are approximately 100 trees that are more than 1000 years old in China, a few of which may be 3000 years of age. Written records indicate that ginkgo has been cultivated in China for more than 2000 years. From China, it was spread to Japan about a thousand years ago, to Europe in 1727 (in the Netherlands; one of the original trees is still alive), to the United States in 1784 (the original tree is said to have lived for approximately 200 years), and to other temperate areas of the world. It has been claimed that ginkgo now grows in every temperate country of the world.
