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Tall tree, with wedge-shaped deciduous lvs.: fls. small and mostly dioecious; pistillate fl. solitary, the single naked ovule ripening into a drupe; staminate fls. in slender, loose catkins: fr. a drupe about 1 in. diam., containing a very large lenticular seed or kernel.
Tall tree, with wedge-shaped deciduous lvs.: fls. small and mostly dioecious; pistillate fl. solitary, the single naked ovule ripening into a drupe; staminate fls. in slender, loose catkins: fr. a drupe about 1 in. diam., containing a very large lenticular seed or kernel.
Ginkgo biloba, Linn. (Salisburia adiantifolia, Smith). Ginkgo. Maidenhair Tree. Kew Tree. Figs. 1640- 1642. A straight, sparsely branched, usually slender tree, attaining a height of 60-80 ft.: lvs. 3-5,1-clustered, fan-shaped, divided at summit, with thickened margin, striated on both sides with numerous parallel veins: fls. dioecious; male catkins slender, stalked; females on long footstalks, in pairs, of which one usually aborts: fr. a drupe, consisting of an acrid, foul-smelling pulp surrounding a smooth, angular oval, cream-colored, thin-shelled, sweet-kerneled nut. F.S. 10, p. 119. G.C. III. 5:265, 269. G.F. 1:175 (adapted in Fig. 1640). A.G. 12:268. Gng. 6:194. G.M. 52:1011. Gn. 66, p. 345. Gn.M. 2:11. G.W. 3, p. 542; 10, p. 285; 15, pp. 589-593. J.H. III. 64:148.—The ginkgo was intro. to Amer. early in the last century; it is generally successful on good soil in the eastern states as far north as E. Mass, and Cent. Mich., and along the St. Lawrence River in parts of Canada. It is of special value for solitary planting to secure picturesque effects. It is considerably planted in Washington, D. C., where it is growing in esteem as a street tree because of its upright habit and freedom from insect injury. Easily prop, from seed, stratified in autumn; varieties by budding and grafting. Several horticultural forms are recognized, including laciniata, pendula and variegata. The foul odor of the ripe frs., which continue to mature and drop during a period of some weeks, constitutes the chief objection to the species as a street tree, or near dwellings, and suggests the advisability of prop, from staminate trees by grafting or budding, for planting in such locations. The kernels, which have a sweetish, slightly resinous flavor, are highly esteemed for food in China and Japan, and are gathered from fruiting trees in Washington for such use by Chinese laundry- men.
The word Ginkgo seems to be pronounced with a hard initial G in the orient, but in English a soft G should be used. The name is often spelled Gingko, but the other spelling is that used by Linnaeus.
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