Ginkgo Biloba Tree

The Ginkgo Biloba tree is as miraculous as it's herb. The tree is known to have existed between 150 – 250 million years ago according to recent geological studies. It is the oldest tree in the world today.

Engelbert Kaempfer was a German botanist who became known as the first European to discover and categorize the Ginkgo Biloba tree. He discovered the tree in China in 1690. Kaempfer lived in Japan from 1690 till 1692 and described the Ginkgo tree in his book Amoenitatum exoticarum (1712).

The Ginkgo name is coined by Kaempfer. Ginkgo is derived from two Japanese words YIN meaning silver and HING meaning apricot which is used to refer to the similarity of an apricot to the appearance of the Ginkgo trees’ fruits. Biloba roughly translates to “two-lobed” which refers to the fan-shaped leaf blades which appear to be split-in-the-middle. Ginkgo Biloba trees can thrive in cities because they can tolerate dust and pollution. Its huge, sturdy trunk makes it not easily vulnerable to fungi, insects or damages wrought by storms.

This unique tree, aside from the fact that it’s the oldest, is also one of the most unique because it is dioecious. A rare tree where male and female flowers grow on different trees. Charles Darwin referred to the Ginkgo Biloba tree as a living fossil in 1859. Ginkgo trees disappeared from America and Europe about 7 million and 3 million years ago, respectively. The last survivor of Ginkgo Biloba trees was found in southeast China. The Buddhist monks were responsible for its continued existence up to this day. They planted Ginkgo Biloba trees near the pagodas in China’s imperial gardens because they believed it to be guard against fire.

Ginkgo Biloba trees or its scientific name ginkgoaceae belong to the Ginkgophytes class. This Ginkgo Biloba trees’ class is believed to provide the link between the ferns and the angiosperms (flowering plants).

In Europe, where the Ginkgo Biloba tree has gained immense popularity especially in France and Germany nowadays, the oldest European Ginkgo Biloba tree can be found in the Utrecht Botanical Garden. Once thought to be extinct, this fascinating tree is now widely dispersed all over the world. Hence, the reason for the Ginkgo Biloba tree’s popularity.

Having lived for over 150 million years, this huge, sturdy tree is not only known for its medicinal value, it also serves as a bold picturesque accent in the landscape among architects. Ginkgo Biloba trees can grow to be a sturdy, huge, urban-tolerant shade tree that just happens to be the oldest living tree on Earth. Truly, the Ginkgo Biloba tree is a rare mix of magnificence and endurance!