Gingko biloba was once thought to be extinct in the wild but was discovered growing wild in the Zhejiang province of China. Now the use of Ginkgo is widely used as a food source and in traditional medicine. As a landscape tree Ginkgo usually towers between 65 to 110 feet tall and is resistant to winds and heavy snow loads. Its fall foliage is amongst the most vivid yellows found in the landscape.
Bernheim's Gingko biloba collection was started in 1952. The six original trees planted were seedlings, which were all female and produced fruit. The fruit of the Ginkgo tree is often considered messy and has an undesirable odor. Many of the newer forms and cultivars are male and do not produce any fruit.
Of the cultivars that are on display in the Arboretum, some of the most prominent are as follows:
- ‘Henry Clay’- This plant was grafted from a female tree growing at Henry Clay’s home. The original tree grew from a seed that was presented to Henry Clay by a foreign diplomat.
- ‘Tubiforme’- A shorter, dense form that exhibits rolled and contorted leaves.
- ‘Princeton Sentry’- A male fastigiate and dense form well suited for narrow areas.
Included in our collection:
Ginkgo biloba - 'Autumn Gold'
Ginkgo biloba - 'Bryson City'
Ginkgo biloba - 'Bryson City'
Ginkgo biloba - 'Pendula'
Ginkgo biloba - 'Car Wash'
Ginkgo biloba - 'Cave Hill Broom'
Ginkgo biloba - 'Saratoga'
Ginkgo biloba - 'Chi Chi'
Ginkgo biloba - 'Shangri-La'
Ginkgo biloba - 'Horizontalis'
Ginkgo biloba - 'Spring Grove'
Ginkgo biloba - 'Jade Butterflies'
Ginkgo biloba - 'The President'
Ginkgo biloba - 'Mariken'
Ginkdo biloba - 'Windover Gold'
