The ginkgo tree is an ancient and special plant that is considered to be one of the longest-surviving tree species on Earth. It belongs to the Ginkgo family and is the only species of the genus Ginkgo.
Autumn and Winter Check-in Challenge
Ginkgo biloba trees are arbors that can grow up to 40 meters tall and up to 4 meters in diameter at breast height. The bark of young trees is shallow longitudinally lobed, and the bark of large trees is grayish-brown, deeply longitudinally fissured, and rough. The shape of the canopy of a ginkgo tree changes with the age of the tree. In juvenile and prime of life, the canopy is conical;Older trees, on the other hand, are broadly ovate.
The branches of the ginkgo tree are nearly whorl, stretching diagonally upward. The annual branches are pale brownish yellow, and the two years old and above turn gray with fine longitudinal cracks. The short branches are densely covered with black-gray leaf marks, and long branches can also grow on the short branches. The buds in winter are yellowish-brown, often ovate, with a blunt apex.
The leaves of the ginkgo tree are fan-shaped, have long stalks, are pale green in color, ** the leaves have many forked parallel veins, and the apex width is about 5-8 cm. On short branches, the leaves often have wavy notches, and on long branches, they often have two lobes. The base of the leaf is wedge-shaped. The leaves on the young trees and germinating branches are often deeply lobed, and sometimes the lobes are re-lobed. The leaves are spiral-scattered on the annual growing branches, and the leaves are clustered in 3-8 on the short branches. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow and then fall off.
The flowers of the ginkgo tree are dioecious bulbs that are unisexual. Female and male flowers grow in clusters in the axils of scaly leaves at the tips of short branches. The male flowers are inflorescence-like and drooping. The seeds of the ginkgo tree have long stems and droop. The shape of the seeds can be oval, oblong-obovate, oval, or nearly spherical. The fleshy outer seed coat of the seeds contains toxic leukolic acid, leukogol and leukophenol.
The ginkgo tree is a tall, spectacular plant with a varied crown shape, fan-shaped leaves, dioecious flowers, and poisonous seeds. It has an important place in both nature and human culture.