The ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba) is a large, long-lived deciduous tree and the sole surviving species of an entire plant division that dates back hundreds of millions of years. Often called a “living fossil,” it’s the last remaining member of Ginkgophyta, a lineage that once included more than 16 genera spread across the planet. Today you’ll find ginkgoes lining city streets, standing in temple courtyards across East Asia, and growing in parks worldwide, prized for their striking fan-shaped leaves and remarkable toughness.
The Last of an Ancient Lineage
Ginkgo-like plants first began evolving around 325 million years ago, during the early Permian period. The genus Ginkgo itself appeared in the middle Jurassic, roughly 170 million years ago, when dinosaurs dominated the Earth. Through the Late Mesozoic and into the early Tertiary period (about 65 million years ago), ginkgoes spread widely through temperate forests across the Northern Hemisphere. Then they declined. By the time the age of mammals was well underway, all but one or two species had gone extinct.
What makes this story even more striking is how recently the surviving populations diverged from one another. Genetic analysis of wild ginkgo populations in China shows that all living ginkgo trees trace their diversity back only about 390,000 years, a blink in geological time for a lineage that spans over 300 million years. The tree you see on a city sidewalk is, genetically speaking, almost unchanged from its Ice Age ancestors.
How to Identify a Ginkgo
The leaves are the giveaway. Ginkgo leaves are flat, fan-shaped, and often split by a deep groove down the middle into two distinct lobes, which is where the species name “biloba” (two lobes) comes from. The depth of that split varies from leaf to leaf, even on the same tree. Look closely and you’ll notice something unusual about the veins: they fork in pairs from the base of the leaf outward, never connecting to each other. This open, branching vein pattern is rare among living plants and is one of the features that links ginkgoes to their ancient relatives.
The bark on older ginkgoes is grey and deeply furrowed, while the wood inside the trunk is yellow. Mature trees typically grow tall and upright, with some specimens reaching enormous size. Researchers studying old ginkgoes in China measured trunk diameters up to 450 centimeters (nearly 15 feet) on the oldest individuals.
How Long Ginkgoes Live
Ginkgo trees can live for well over 1,000 years. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers used tree-ring analysis on ginkgoes ranging from 15 to 1,353 years old. They found that even centuries-old trees continue to add girth each year, though the growth rings get progressively thinner. A 20-year-old tree averaged about 14 centimeters in trunk diameter, a 200-year-old about 84 centimeters, and a 600-year-old about 203 centimeters.
Like most mature trees, ginkgoes eventually stop getting taller because the growing tips at the top of the canopy accumulate damage from wind, storms, and other natural stresses over time. But the layer of dividing cells just beneath the bark, responsible for trunk growth, keeps functioning for centuries, adding new wood and renewing the tree’s vascular system year after year. This is a key reason ginkgoes can persist for so long.
Male and Female Trees
Ginkgoes are dioecious, meaning individual trees are either male or female. Male trees produce small pollen-bearing structures, while female trees produce ovules that, once pollinated by wind, develop into fleshy, round seeds about the size of a cherry. This distinction matters a great deal if you’re planting one, because the seeds produced by female trees have a notorious smell.
The fleshy outer layer of the seed contains compounds, including butyric acid, that smell unmistakably like rancid butter or vomit. When the seeds drop in autumn and get crushed underfoot, the odor can be overwhelming. For this reason, most cities and landscapers plant only male trees. Nurseries can now identify sex before the tree reaches reproductive maturity, which typically takes 20 years or more, saving decades of uncertainty.
Are Ginkgo Seeds Toxic?
Ginkgo seeds (often called ginkgo nuts) have been eaten in Japan and China for centuries, typically roasted or cooked in soups. But eating them raw or in large quantities carries real risk. The seeds contain a neurotoxic compound called ginkgotoxin at concentrations of 170 to 404 parts per million. This compound is structurally similar to vitamin B6 and interferes with the body’s ability to use it, which disrupts the production of a key calming chemical in the brain.
Reported symptoms of ginkgo seed poisoning include convulsions, vomiting, and loss of consciousness. Cases have been documented primarily in Japan and China, where seeds are consumed as a traditional food. Cooking reduces the toxin content, but the seeds should still be eaten in moderation.
Why Ginkgoes Thrive in Cities
Few trees handle urban conditions as well as the ginkgo. It tolerates air pollution, soil salt from winter road treatment, a wide range of soil pH levels, and compacted ground. It also shows unusual resistance to insects, bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The tree produces natural antifungal compounds and other protective chemicals in its tissues, which researchers believe partly explains both the longevity of individual trees and the survival of the species over geological time.
Ginkgoes prefer deep, sandy, moist soil and full sun, but they’ll grow in almost any conditions. They perform well across a wide climate range, from the cold winters of Minnesota to the heat and humidity of Georgia and Florida. This adaptability, combined with their pest resistance and tolerance of pollution, makes them one of the most reliable choices for street and park plantings.
The Dramatic Autumn Leaf Drop
In fall, ginkgo leaves turn a vivid, uniform golden yellow. What happens next is one of the more dramatic events in the tree calendar: ginkgoes often drop all their leaves within a single day, sometimes overnight after the first hard frost. Most deciduous trees shed leaves gradually over weeks, but ginkgoes tend to release theirs all at once, carpeting the ground in a solid circle of gold.
This happens because the tree develops an abscission layer, a thin zone of cells between each leaf stem and the branch, as part of its preparation for winter dormancy. Once that layer is complete across the whole tree, a single cold night can trigger a simultaneous release. The result is visually spectacular and has made ginkgoes a celebrated autumn tree in parks and temple grounds throughout East Asia.
Ginkgo Extract as a Supplement
Ginkgo leaf extract is one of the most widely sold herbal supplements in the world, marketed primarily for memory and circulation. The extract contains two main groups of active compounds: terpene lactones (including ginkgolides and bilobalide) and flavone glycosides. These compounds have antioxidant properties and can affect blood vessel function by promoting dilation and reducing clotting.
The supplement industry and the tree’s ancient pedigree have given ginkgo an outsized cultural presence, but the clinical evidence for cognitive benefits in healthy adults remains mixed. The extract is distinct from the raw seeds and leaves, which contain compounds at concentrations that can be harmful. Commercial extracts are standardized to specific levels of active ingredients with toxic components removed.