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October 26, 2011   You are receiving this email because you requested it, if not see the end of this email.


In This Email Update...
Last 2011 Saturday Plant Sale...November 5th -- 10am - 2pm
Ginkgo bioloba...-- in a class by itself

Last 2011 Saturday Plant Sale

November 5th -- 10am - 2pm

   Our 2011 Saturday Plant Sales are concluding soon. Save the date and time. More next week. We will be continuing Tuesday mornings 9-12.

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Ginkgo biloba -- in a class by itself

by Chris Christensen, Markham Bord Member

spring/summer leaves                          fall color -- tree & leaves               

   Ginkgo is the only living genus of a class of trees which were widespread in distribution in the Mesozoic Era, 250 to 65 million years ago, and were especially abundant in the Jurassic Era when dinosaurs were the dominant animal. (Did they munch on Ginkgo leaves??) Ginkgo fossils have also been recovered from even earlier times. The Ginkgos became scarce at the end of the Mesozoic Era and declined further until only one species survives today, Ginkgo bilboa. Ginkgo bilboa is sometimes referred to as a "living fossil" because of its long survival. Ginkgos today have no close botanical relatives.

   Ginkgo biloba was described in the scientific literature by Linnaeus in 1771. It is a deciduous tree which can eventually be quite large in the wild, 65-115', and rarely to 165'. In youth the tree is tall and slender, becoming more rounded with age. Leaves are unusual among trees, being fan-shaped, 2-4" long, rarely 6", on long stalks that alternate along the branches. A slit or notch usually occurs on the outer margin of the leaf suggesting a bi-lobed structure. The common name, Maidenhair Tree, has been adopted because of the resemblance of the leaves to the Maidenhair Fern, Adiantum capillus venerus. In Fall, the Ginkgo leaves turn a brilliant yellow and will usually drop them all within several days.

   Maidenhair Trees are either male or female (dioecious). Males have pollen-bearing "cones" similar to male conifers. Females do not have cones but bear seeds, usually in pairs, which have a fleshy coat. When mature, the coating develops an unpleasant odor.

   Ginkgo is the Japanese name for the tree and the seeds. The tree is considered sacred in the Buddhist religion and is the national tree of China.

   Most consider that Ginkgo biloba exists in the wild only in the northwest of Zhejiana province in the Tianmu Shan Mountains Reserve in eastern China. The trees have been cultivated in Asia for many centuries. They have been cultivated in North America for about 200 years, but have never naturalized.

   The Maidenhair Tree has deep roots, tolerates a wide variety of soil types, and prefers sunny, moist, but well-drained locales. It will grow in most termperate climates except the cold north. The tree is attacked by few insects and diseases. Ginkgos are tolerant of pollution and can thrive in urban areas and confined soil spaces and are now often used as street trees and as landscape trees. An extreme example of the trees' hardiness exists in Hiroshima, Japan, where 6 trees at 1-2 km from the atomic blast of 1945 are among the few living things that survived.

   Ginkgo biloba are easy to propagate from seeds or cuttings.

   In Asia, the white seed kernel is considered a delicacy and is used in several dishes. There have been allergic reactions reported in some instances.

   Medicinal uses of Ginkgo biloba are fairly common in the Orient, some supposedly aiding memory and concentration. An exhaustive clinical study in the U.S. concluded that Ginkgo biloba "...does not prevent or delay dementia or Alzheimers".

   A young specimen of a Ginkgo biloba tree is planted in Markham Arboretum's International Garden near the eastern end of the Asian Section.

 

References:-

1. Wikipedia

2. Firefly Encyclopedia of Trees, Steve Cafferty, ed.

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  Come and Visit the Nursery. Summer is officially over; Fall is finally here. Visit us and be prepared to get your fall garden finished/started and on its way while the warm days and cool nights are till with us. Our volunteers are normally here on Tuesday morning from 9 until noon to help you find and make the appropriate selection for your garden.


The Nursery is located at 1202 La Vista Avenue (off Clayton Road) in Concord (map). On Tuesday's you can drive all the way into the Nursery area. The office phone is 925-681-2968 or you can email to [email protected].

 

We look forward to seeing you soon! ... from all the volunteers!

Plant Sales every Tuesday from 9 until noon
Saturday Plant Sales Scheduled for 2011:  10am - 2pm
Last 2011 Saturday Sale:
 
November 5th

Most 4" pots @ $3      Most 1 Gallons @ $5