The ginkgo tree is famous for its longevity — some of them have lived to be over 1,000 years old. In China there is a 2,500 years old Ginkgo known as the Ginkgo Queen. The leaves and fruit have been used as a medicinal treatment in China since 2800BC, primarily for its ability to help with brain function and blood circulation.The ginkgo tree is indigenous to China, Japan, and Korea, but also thrived in North America and Europe prior to the Ice Age. Several of these incredibly hardy trees even survived the atomic bomb blast at Hiroshima. The ginkgo tree has a long and amazing history. These monuments of nature are the oldest living species of tree on earth.
Another interesting characteristic of the Ginkgo is that most gymnosperms (and flowering plants) have both sexes on the same plant, but the Ginkgo is a dioecious gymnosperm, male and female are separate trees, its seeds have a fleshy outer layer.
Needless to say that Ginkgo trees are considered relatively disease free and do not have any serious disease problems. So if you want to plant an interesting tree and a tree that will accompany the next 20 generations in your family there's only one choice: the Ginkgo!
