View source for Ginkgo biloba

{{Short description|Species of tree}}
{{About|the tree|the Goethe poem|Gingo biloba}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2025}}
{{cs1 config|name-list-style=vanc|display-authors=3}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = {{Geological range|51.5|0}}Early [[Eocene]] ([[Ypresian]]) – [[Holocene|Present]]<ref name=Mustoe>{{cite journal |last1=Mustoe |first1=G.E. |year=2002 |title=Eocene Ginkgo leaf fossils from the Pacific Northwest |journal=Canadian Journal of Botany |volume=80 |pages=1078–1087 |doi=10.1139/b02-097 |issue=10 |bibcode=2002CaJB...80.1078M }}</ref>
| image = GINKGOBAUM-2.jpg
| image_caption =
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Sun, W. |date=1998 |title=''Ginkgo biloba'' |volume=1998 |article-number=e.T32353A9700472 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T32353A9700472.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| status2 = {{TNCStatus}}
| status2_system = TNC
| status2_ref = <ref>{{cite web |title=NatureServe Explorer 2.0 |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.158473/Ginkgo_biloba |website=explorer.natureserve.org |access-date=31 March 2022}}</ref>
| genus = Ginkgo
| species = biloba
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| synonyms = {{Specieslist
|Ginkgo macrophylla|K.Koch
|Pterophyllus salisburiensis|J.Nelson, nom. illeg.
|Salisburia adiantifolia|Sm., nom. illeg.
|Salisburia biloba|(L.) Hoffmanns.
|Salisburia ginkgo|Rich., nom. illeg.
|Salisburia macrophylla|Reyn.
}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref name="WCSP_334053">{{citation |title=Ginkgo biloba|work=[[World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]] |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:262125-1 |access-date=1 July 2024}}</ref>
}}

'''''Ginkgo biloba''''', commonly known as '''ginkgo''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|ɪ|ŋ|k|oʊ|,_|ˈ|ɡ|ɪ|ŋ|k|ɡ|oʊ}} {{respell|GINK|oh|,_-|goh}}),<ref name="MWDef">{{cite web |title=Ginkgo: Definition & Meaning |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ginkgo |website=www.merriam-webster.com |access-date=2 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="CambridgeDef">{{cite web |title=ginkgo |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/ginkgo |website=dictionary.cambridge.org |access-date=2 July 2021}}</ref> also known as the '''maidenhair tree''',<ref>{{PLANTS |id=GIBI2 |taxon=Ginkgo biloba |access-date=19 January 2016}}</ref> and often misspelled "gingko" (see [[#Etymology|Etymology]] below) is a species of [[gymnosperm]] tree native to [[East Asia]]. It is the last living species in the order [[Ginkgoales]], which first appeared over 290 million years ago. [[Fossil|Fossils]] similar to the living species, belonging to the genus ''[[Ginkgo]]'', extend back to the [[Middle Jurassic]] epoch approximately 170 million years ago.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021"/> The tree was cultivated early in [[human history]], remains commonly planted, and is widely regarded as a [[living fossil]].

''G. biloba'' is a long-lived, [[Disease resistance|disease-resistant]], [[Dioecy|dioecious]] tree with unique fan-shaped [[Leaf|leaves]], capable of [[Cloning|clonal reproduction]], and known for its striking yellow autumn foliage and resilience in disturbed environments. It was known historically as "silver fruit" or "white fruit" in [[Chinese language|Chinese]] and called "ginkgo" due to a centuries-old transcription error. It is closely related to [[Cycad|cycads]] and characterized by unique [[Seed|seeds]] that resemble [[Apricot|apricots]] but are not true [[Fruit|fruits]]. 

''G. biloba'', once widespread but thought [[Extinction|extinct]] in the wild for centuries, is now commonly cultivated in East Asia, with some genetically diverse populations possibly representing rare wild survivors in [[southwestern China]]'s mountainous regions. Some ''G. biloba'' trees have survived extreme events like the [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|Hiroshima atomic bomb]] and others showcasing extreme longevity; ''G. biloba'' specimens have been measured in excess of 1,600 years, and the largest living trees are estimated to exceed 3,500 years.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Xiang |first1=Zhun |last2=Del Tredici |first2=Peter |last3=Xiang |first3=Yinghai |last4=Xiang |first4=Bixia |title=The Li Jiawan Grand Ginkgo King |journal=Arnoldia |date=January 2009 |volume=66 |issue=3 |pages=26–30 |doi=10.5962/p.251035 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382140568 |access-date=9 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Avis-Riordan |first1=Katie |title=Ginkgo biloba: The tree that outlived the dinosaurs |url=https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/ginkgo-biloba-maidenhair-tree-kew-gardens |publisher=Kew Gardens |access-date=1 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Malsbury |first1=Erin |title=How the Ginkgo biloba achieves near-immortality |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/how-ginkgo-biloba-achieves-near-immortality |website=www.science.org |publisher=Science |access-date=3 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref> Today it is widely planted in [[City|cities]] worldwide for its [[pollution]] tolerance and ornamental value.

''G. biloba'' can pose health risks including potential [[Carcinogen|carcinogenicity]], [[Allergy|allergic reactions]], poisoning from seeds due to [[ginkgotoxin]], [[Drug interaction|drug interactions]], and [[Adverse effect|adverse effects]] such as [[bleeding]] and [[Neurology|neurological]] symptoms, especially with excessive or improper use. ''G. biloba'' [[wood]] is valued for its durability and used in [[Craft|crafts]] and [[sake]]-making, while its seeds are popular in [[Asian cuisine]] despite health risks.  While widely marketed for [[Nootropic|cognitive]] benefits, clinical research shows limited medical effectiveness except possibly for [[dementia]], with approval in the [[European Union]] but not by the [[United States]] [[Food and Drug Administration]].

==Description==
[[File:Ginkgo biloba JPG1a.jpg|thumb|''G. biloba'' in [[Tournai]], [[Belgium]]]]

Ginkgos are large trees, normally reaching a height of {{convert|20|–|35|m|ft|0|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ansari |first1=Abid A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1N76DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA236 |title=Plant Biodiversity: Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation |last2=Gill |first2=Sarvajeet Singh |last3=Abbas |first3=Zahid Khorshid |last4=Naeem |first4=M. |date=2016-12-23 |publisher=CABI |isbn=978-1-78064-694-7 |language=en}}</ref> with some specimens in China being over 40 meters (131 feet).<ref>{{cite web |title=25 Interesting Facts about Ginkgo Biloba |date=19 August 2024 |url=https://factbud.com/25-interesting-facts-about-ginkgo-biloba/ |publisher=Factbud.com |access-date=9 July 2025}}</ref> The tree has an angular [[crown (botany)|crown]] and long, somewhat erratic branches, and is usually deep-rooted and resistant to wind and snow damage. Young trees are often tall and slender, and sparsely branched; the crown becomes broader as the tree ages. A combination of resistance to disease, insect-resistant wood, and the ability to form [[aerial root]]s and sprouts makes ginkgos durable, with some specimens estimated to be more than 3,500&nbsp;years old.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ginkgo – Ginkgo biloba – The University of Alabama Arboretum {{!}} The University of Alabama |url=https://arboretum.ua.edu/whats-growing-on/ginkgo-ginkgo-biloba/ |access-date=2022-02-26 |website=arboretum.ua.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Avis-Riordan |first1=Katie |title=Ginkgo biloba: The tree that outlived the dinosaurs |url=https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/ginkgo-biloba-maidenhair-tree-kew-gardens |publisher=Kew Gardens |access-date=1 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Malsbury |first1=Erin |title=How the Ginkgo biloba achieves near-immortality |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/how-ginkgo-biloba-achieves-near-immortality |website=www.science.org |publisher=Science |access-date=3 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

===Leaves===
[[File:Ginkgo Biloba Leaves - Black Background.jpg|thumb|upright|Leaves in summer]]
[[File:GinkgoLeaves.jpg|thumb|upright|Leaves in autumn]]

The [[leaves]] are unique among seed plants, being fan-shaped with veins radiating out into the leaf blade, sometimes bifurcating (splitting), but never [[anastomosing]] to form a network.<ref name="More on Morphology">{{cite web |url=https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/seedplants/ginkgoales/ginkgomm.html |title=More on Morphology of the Ginkgoales |website=www.ucmp.berkeley.edu |access-date=12 August 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001017225748/http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/seedplants/ginkgoales/ginkgomm.html |archive-date=17 October 2000 }}</ref> Two veins enter the leaf blade at the base and fork repeatedly in two; this is known as [[dichotomous venation]]. The leaves are usually {{convert|5|–|10|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}}, but sometimes up to {{convert|15|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} long. The old common name, ''maidenhair tree'', derives from the leaves resembling [[pinnation|pinnae]] of the maidenhair fern, ''[[Adiantum capillus-veneris]]''. Ginkgos are prized for their autumn foliage, which is a deep [[saffron yellow]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Meyer |first=Jeffrey G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nERh9pS5r5MC&pg=PA113 |title=The Tree Book: A Practical Guide to Selecting and Maintaining the Best Trees for Your Yard and Garden |date=2004 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-0-7432-4974-4 |page=113 |language=en}}</ref>

The species is [[heterophyllous]] (two types of leaves); those on the long shoots are thicker, have higher rates of photosynthesis, higher vein density and leaf hydraulic conductance, while those on the short shoots are better at handling drought.<ref>[https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/3/535 Hydraulic and Economical Traits in Short- and Long-Shoot Leaves of Ginkgo biloba Males and Females]</ref> Leaves of long shoots are also usually notched or lobed, but only from the outer surface, between the veins. They are borne both on the more rapidly growing branch tips, where they are alternate and spaced out, and also on the short, stubby spur shoots, where they are clustered at the tips. Leaves are green both on the top and bottom<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/emmae24/Ginkgoaceae/ginkgo.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040823040332/http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/emmae24/Ginkgoaceae/ginkgo.html |archive-date=23 August 2004 |title=Ginkgo Tree |website=www.bio.brandeis.edu |access-date=18 July 2016 }}</ref> and have stomata on both sides.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://prezi.com/clwhmur-nprv/ginkgo-tree/ |title=Ginkgo Tree |website=prezi.com |access-date=18 July 2016}}</ref> During autumn, the leaves turn a bright yellow and then fall, sometimes within a short space of time (one to fifteen&nbsp;days).<ref>{{cite web |title=PlantsMap |url=https://www.plantsmap.com/organizations/25638/plants/110024 |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=Plants Map |language=en}}</ref> Leaves of the [[cultivar]] 'Tubifolia' have funnel-shaped leaves.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.xs4all.nl/~kwanten/culttubifolia.htm | last= Kwant | first= Cor | title= The Ginkgo Pages | date= n.d. | access-date=October 22, 2002 }}</ref>

===Branches===
Ginkgo branches grow in length by growth of shoots with regularly spaced leaves, as seen on most trees. From the [[axil]]s of these leaves, "spur shoots" (also known as short shoots) develop on second-year growth. Short shoots have short [[internode (botany)|internode]]s (they may grow only one to two centimeters in several years) and their leaves are usually unlobed. They are short and knobby, and are arranged regularly on the branches except on first-year growth. Because of the short internodes, leaves appear to be clustered at the tips of short shoots, and reproductive structures are formed only on them (seeds and leaves are visible on short shoots). In ginkgos, as in other plants that possess them, short shoots allow the formation of new leaves in the older parts of the crown. After a number of years, a short shoot may change into a long (ordinary) shoot, or vice versa.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Brenner |first1=Eric D. |last2=Katari |first2=Manpreet S. |last3=Stevenson |first3=Dennis W. |last4=Rudd |first4=Stephen A. |last5=Douglas |first5=Andrew W. |last6=Moss |first6=Walter N. |last7=Twigg |first7=Richard W. |last8=Runko |first8=Suzan J. |last9=Stellari |first9=Giulia M. |last10=McCombie |first10=W. R. |last11=Coruzzi |first11=Gloria M. |date=2005-10-15 |title=EST analysis in Ginkgo biloba: an assessment of conserved developmental regulators and gymnosperm specific genes |journal=BMC Genomics |volume=6 |article-number=143 |doi=10.1186/1471-2164-6-143 |doi-access=free |issn=1471-2164 |pmc=1285361 |pmid=16225698}}</ref>

[[File:Ginkgo biloba MHNT.BOT.2010.13.1.jpg|thumb|''G. biloba'' trunk cross-section]]

Ginkgo prefers full sun and grows best in environments that are well-watered and well-drained. The species shows a preference for disturbed sites; in the "semiwild" stands at [[Tianmu Mountain]]s, many specimens are found along stream banks, rocky slopes, and cliff edges. Accordingly, ginkgo retains a prodigious capacity for vegetative growth. It is capable of sprouting from embedded buds near the base of the trunk ([[lignotuber]]s, or basal chichi) in response to disturbances, such as soil erosion. Old specimens are also capable of producing aerial roots on the undersides of large branches in response to disturbances such as crown damage; these roots can lead to successful clonal reproduction upon contacting the soil. These strategies are evidently important in the persistence of ginkgo; in a survey of the "semiwild" stands remaining in [[Tianmu Mountain|Tianmushan]], 40% of the specimens surveyed were multi-stemmed, and few saplings were present.<ref name=royer>{{cite journal |first1=Dana L. |last1=Royer |first2=Leo J. |last2=Hickey |first3=Scott L. |last3=Wing |year=2003 |title=Ecological conservatism in the 'living fossil' ''Ginkgo'' |journal=Paleobiology |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=84–104 |doi=10.1666/0094-8373(2003)029<0084:ECITLF>2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=19865243 |issn=0094-8373}}</ref>{{rp|86–87}}

=== Reproduction ===
''Ginkgo biloba'' is [[dioecy#In botany|dioecious]], with separate [[sexes]], some trees being [[female]] and others being [[male]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pendarvis |first1=Murray P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UcRKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA362 |title=Exploring Biology in the Laboratory, 3e |last2=Crawley |first2=John L. |date=2018-02-01 |publisher=Morton Publishing Company |isbn=978-1-61731-756-9 |language=en}}</ref> Male plants produce small [[conifer cone|pollen cones]] with [[sporophyll]]s, each bearing two [[microsporangium|microsporangia]] spirally arranged around a central axis. Sex conversion, wherein certain branches of a tree change sexes, has been observed.{{r|nagata2016}} This phenomenon is difficult to research because of its rarity, as well as the practice of [[grafting]] female branches onto otherwise male trees that was common in 19th century Europe.{{r|osgf2017}}

Female plants do not produce cones. Two [[ovule]]s are formed at the end of a stalk, and after [[anemophily|wind pollination]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jin |first1=Biao |last2=Jiang |first2=Xiaoxue |last3=Wang |first3=Di |last4=Zhang |first4=Lei |last5=Wan |first5=Yinglang |last6=Wang |first6=Li |date=September 2012 |title=The behavior of pollination drop secretion in Ginkgo biloba L. |journal=Plant Signaling & Behavior |language=en |volume=7 |issue=9 |pages=1168–1176 |doi=10.4161/psb.21122 |issn=1559-2324 |pmc=3489653 |pmid=22899081|bibcode=2012PlSiB...7.1168J }}</ref> one or both develop into [[fruit]]-like structures containing seeds. The fruits are 1.5–2&nbsp;cm long, with a soft, fleshy, yellow-brown outer layer (the [[sarcotesta]]) that is attractive in appearance, but contains [[butyric acid]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Raven |first=Peter H. |author2=Ray F. Evert |author3=Susan E. Eichhorn |year=2005 |title=Biology of Plants |edition=7th |location=New York |publisher=W. H. Freeman and Company |isbn=978-0-7167-1007-3 |pages=429–430}}</ref> (also known as butanoic acid) and smells foul like [[rancidification|rancid]] [[butter]] or [[vomit]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Plotnik |first=Arthur |year=2000 |title=The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Field Guide for City and Town |edition=1st |location=New York |publisher=Three Rivers Press |isbn=978-0-8129-3103-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/urbantreebook00arth/page/202 202] |url=https://archive.org/details/urbantreebook00arth/page/202}}</ref> when fallen. Beneath the sarcotesta is the hard [[sclerotesta]] (the "shell" of the seed) and a papery [[endotesta]], with the [[nucellus]] surrounding the female [[gametophyte]] at the center.<ref name="Lab IX">{{cite web |url=https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/IB181/VPL/CorCon/CorCon2.html |title=Lab IX – Ginkgo, Cordaites, Conifers (2) |website=ucmp.berkeley.edu}}</ref>

{{multiple image
|align = none
|image1 = Ginkgo biloba male flower.jpg
|caption1 = Pollen cones
|image2 = Ginkgo biloba female flower.jpg
|caption2 = Ovules
}}

The fertilization of ginkgo seeds occurs via [[motility|motile]] sperm, as in cycads, ferns, mosses, and algae. The sperm are large (about 70–90&nbsp;micrometres)<ref name=Press>{{cite book |author=Vanbeek, A. |title=Ginkgo Biloba (Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Industrial Profiles) |publisher=CRC Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-90-5702-488-7 |page=37}}</ref> and are similar to the sperm of cycads, which are slightly larger. ''Ginkgo'' sperm were first discovered by the Japanese botanist [[Sakugoro Hirase]] in 1896.<ref name="ogura">{{cite journal |author=Ogura, Y. |url=http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/fo47/ginkgo/ogura.htm |title=History of Discovery of Spermatozoids In ''Ginkgo biloba'' and ''Cycas revoluta'' |journal=Phytomorphology |volume=17 |pages=109–114 |date=1967 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926052738/http://www1.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/fo47/ginkgo/ogura.htm |archive-date=26 September 2015}}</ref> The sperm have a complex multi-layered structure, which is a continuous belt of basal bodies that form the base of several thousand flagella which have a cilia-like motion. The flagella/cilia apparatus pulls the body of the sperm forwards. The sperm have only a tiny distance to travel to the archegonia, of which there are usually two or three. Two sperm are produced, one of which successfully fertilizes the ovule. Fertilization of ginkgo seeds occurs just before or after they fall in early autumn.<ref name="More on Morphology"/><ref name="Lab IX"/> Embryos may develop in the seeds before or after they drop from the tree.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Holt |first1=B. F. |last2=Rothwell |first2=G. W. |title=Is Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgoaceae) Really an Oviparous Plant? |journal=American Journal of Botany |volume=84 |issue=6 |pages=870–872 |year=1997 |doi=10.2307/2445823 |pmid=21708639 |jstor=2445823 |bibcode=1997AmJB...84..870H |doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Genome ===
Chinese scientists published a draft [[genome]] of ''Ginkgo biloba'' in 2016.<ref name="Guan-2016">{{cite journal |last1=Guan |first1=Rui |last2=Zhao |first2=Yunpeng |last3=Zhang |first3=He |last4=Fan |first4=Guangyi |last5=Liu |first5=Xin |last6=Zhou |first6=Wenbin |last7=Shi |first7=Chengcheng |last8=Wang |first8=Jiahao |last9=Liu |first9=Weiqing |date=1 January 2016 |title=Draft genome of the living fossil Ginkgo biloba |journal=GigaScience |volume=5 |issue=1 |page=49 |doi=10.1186/s13742-016-0154-1 |pmid=27871309 |pmc=5118899 |issn=2047-217X |doi-access=free }}</ref> The tree has a large genome of 10.6&nbsp;billion [[DNA]] [[nucleobase]] "letters" (the human genome has three billion) and about 41,840&nbsp;predicted [[gene]]s<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38057741 |title=Ginkgo 'living fossil' genome decoded |date=21 November 2016 |newspaper=BBC News |language=en-GB |access-date=23 November 2016}}</ref> which enable a considerable number of antibacterial and chemical defense mechanisms.<ref name="Guan-2016"/> 76.58% of the assembled sequence turned out to be repetitive sequences.<ref>[https://gigascience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13742-016-0154-1 Draft genome of the living fossil Ginkgo biloba – GigaScience]</ref>

In 2020, a study in China of ginkgo trees up to 667 years old showed little effects of aging, finding that the trees continued to grow with age and displayed no genetic evidence of [[senescence]], and continued to make [[phytochemical]]s indefinitely.<ref name=cnn>{{cite news |last=Hunt |first=Katie |date=January 14, 2020 |title=Some trees can live for more than 1,000 years and scientists may have figured out why |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/14/asia/ginkgo-trees-secret-longevity-scn/index.html |access-date=January 19, 2020}}</ref>

=== Phytochemicals ===
Extracts of ginkgo leaves contain [[phenolic acid]]s, [[proanthocyanidin]]s, [[glycoside#Flavonoid glycosides|flavonoid glycoside]]s, such as [[myricetin]], [[kaempferol]], [[isorhamnetin]], and [[quercetin]], and the [[terpene]] trilactones [[ginkgolide]]s and [[bilobalide]]s.<ref name="drugs">{{cite web |url=https://www.drugs.com/npp/ginkgo-biloba.html |title=Ginkgo biloba |publisher=Drugs.com |date=19 December 2023 |access-date=13 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |journal=Journal of Chromatography A |year=2002 |volume=967 |issue=1 |pages=21–55 |title=Chemical analysis of Ginkgo biloba leaves and extracts |vauthors=van Beek TA |doi=10.1016/S0021-9673(02)00172-3 |pmid=12219929}}</ref><ref name="vb2">{{cite journal |journal=J Chromatogr A |year=2009 |volume=1216 |issue=11 |pages=2002–2032 |doi=10.1016/j.chroma.2009.01.013 |pmid=19195661 |title=Chemical analysis and quality control of Ginkgo biloba leaves, extracts, and phytopharmaceuticals |vauthors=van Beek TA, Montoro P|url=https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/chemical-analysis-and-quality-control-of-ginkgo-biloba-leaves-ext }}</ref> The leaves also contain unique ginkgo [[biflavone]]s, [[alkylphenol]]s, and [[polyprenol]]s.<ref name=vb2/>

== Taxonomy ==
[[Carl Linnaeus]] described the species in 1771, the [[species name|specific epithet]] ''biloba'' derived from the [[Latin]] ''bis'', "twice" and ''loba'', "lobed", referring to the shape of the leaves.<ref>{{cite book |author=Simpson DP |title=Cassell's Latin Dictionary |publisher=Cassell Ltd. |year=1979 |edition=5 |location=London |page=883 |isbn=978-0-304-52257-6}}</ref> Two names for the species recognise the botanist [[Richard Anthony Salisbury|Richard Salisbury]], a placement by Nelson as ''Pterophyllus salisburiensis''<!-- !? --> and the earlier ''Salisburia adiantifolia'' proposed by [[James Edward Smith (botanist)|James Edward Smith]]. The epithet of the latter may have been intended to denote a characteristic resembling ''[[Adiantum]]'', the genus of maidenhair ferns.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://imaginatorium.org/sano/ginkgo2.htm |title=Ginkgo Origins |last=Chandler |first=Brian |year=2000 |website=Ginkgo pages |access-date=22 November 2010}}</ref>

The scientific name ''Ginkgo'' is the result of a spelling error that occurred three centuries ago. ''[[Kanji]]'' typically have multiple pronunciations in Japanese, and the characters 銀杏 used for ''ginnan'' can also be pronounced ''ginkyō''. [[Engelbert Kaempfer]], the first [[Western world|Westerner]] to investigate the species in 1690, wrote down this pronunciation in the notes that he later used for the ''Amoenitates Exoticae'' (1712) with the "awkward" spelling "ginkgo".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xp5Zy0O01I0C |author=Engelbert Kaempfer |title=Amoenitates exoticae politico-physico-medicae |date=1721 |publisher=Meyer |location=Lengoviae |language=la}}</ref> This appears to be a simple error of Kaempfer; taking his spelling of other Japanese words containing the syllable "kyō" into account, a more precise [[Romanization of Japanese|romanization]] following his writing habits would have been "ginkio" or "ginkjo".<ref name=michel/> Linnaeus, who relied on Kaempfer when dealing with Japanese plants, adopted the spelling given in Kaempfer's "Flora Japonica" (''Amoenitates Exoticae'', p.&nbsp;811). Kaempfer's drawing can be found in Hori's article.<ref>Hori (2001). pp. 31-2.</ref>

===Classification===
The relationship of ginkgo to other plant groups remains uncertain. It has been placed loosely in the divisions [[Spermatophyta]] and [[Pinophyta]], but no consensus has been reached. Since its seeds are not protected by an [[ovary (botany)|ovary]] wall, it can morphologically be considered a [[gymnosperm]]. The apricot-like structures produced by female ginkgo trees are technically not [[fruit]]s, but are seeds that have a shell consisting of a soft and fleshy section (the [[sarcotesta]]), and a hard section (the [[sclerotesta]]). The sarcotesta has a strong smell that most people find unpleasant.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jaikumar |first=Devika |date=2008-05-15 |title=Wake Up and Smell the Ginkgos |url=https://arboretum.harvard.edu/stories/wake-up-and-smell-the-ginkgos/ |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=Arnold Arboretum |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Šamec |first1=Dunja |last2=Karalija |first2=Erna |last3=Dahija |first3=Sabina |last4=Hassan |first4=Sherif T. S. |date=2022-05-23 |title=Biflavonoids: Important Contributions to the Health Benefits of Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.) |journal=Plants |language=en |volume=11 |issue=10 |page=1381 |doi=10.3390/plants11101381 |doi-access=free |issn=2223-7747 |pmc=9143338 |pmid=35631806 |bibcode=2022Plnts..11.1381S }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Duara |first=Nigel |date=2009-10-05 |title=Smell has some cities ripping out ginkgo trees |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/smell-has-some-cities-ripping-out-ginkgo-trees/ |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

The ginkgo is classified in its own [[division (botany)|division]], the Ginkgophyta, comprising the single class Ginkgoopsida, order Ginkgoales, family [[Ginkgoaceae]], genus ''[[Ginkgo]]'' and is the only [[extant taxon|extant species]] within this group. It is one of the best-known examples of a [[living fossil]], because Ginkgoales other than ''G. biloba'' are not known from the fossil record after the [[Pliocene]].<ref name=ZhouZheng>{{cite journal |last1=Zhou |first1=Zhiyan |last2=Zheng |first2=Shaolin |title=Palaeobiology: The missing link in Ginkgo evolution |journal=Nature |volume=423 |issue=6942 |pages=821–822 |year=2003 |pmid=12815417 |doi=10.1038/423821a |bibcode=2003Natur.423..821Z |s2cid=4342303}}</ref><ref name="ucmp">{{cite web
|url=https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/seedplants/ginkgoales/ginkgofr.html
|title=Ginkgoales: Fossil Record
|access-date=3 June 2008
|author1=Julie Jalalpour |author2=Matt Malkin |author3=Peter Poon |author4=Liz Rehrmann |author5=Jerry Yu |year=1997
|publisher=[[University of California, Berkeley]]
}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Ginkgo yimaensis.jpg|Extinct ''[[Ginkgo yimaensis]]''<ref name=Bego>Approximate reconstructions by B. M. Begović Bego and Z. Zhou, 2010/2011. Source: B.M. Begović Bego, (2011). Nature's Miracle ''Ginkgo biloba'', Book 1, Vols.&nbsp;1–2, pp.&nbsp;60–61.</ref>
File:Ginkgo apodes.jpg|Extinct ''[[Ginkgo apodes|G.&nbsp;apodes]]''<ref name=Bego/>
File:Ginkgo cranei.jpg|Extinct ''[[Ginkgo adiantoides]]'', or possibly a new US taxon, ''[[Ginkgo cranei|G.&nbsp;cranei]]''<ref name=Bego/>
File:Ginkgo biloba (new form).jpg|Extant ''G. biloba''<ref name=Bego/>
</gallery>

===Phylogeny===
[[File:Baiera.jpg|thumb|A digital recreation of ''Baiera'' made from diverse images of fossils and academic descriptions]]

''Ginkgo biloba'' is a [[living fossil]], with fossils recognisably related to modern ginkgo from the early [[Permian]] ([[Cisuralian]]), with likely oldest record being that of ''Trichopitys'' from the earliest Permian ([[Asselian]]) of France, over 290 million years old.<ref name="Zhou-2009">{{cite journal |last=Zhou |first=Zhi-Yan |date=March 2009 |title=An overview of fossil Ginkgoales |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1871174X0900002X |journal=Palaeoworld |language=en |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=1–22 |doi=10.1016/j.palwor.2009.01.001 |quote=|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The closest living relatives of the [[clade]] are the [[cycads]],<ref name=royer/>{{rp|84}} which share with the extant ''G. biloba'' the characteristic of [[motility|motile]] sperm.

Such plants with leaves that have more than four [[leaf#Veins|veins]] per segment have customarily been assigned to the taxon ''Ginkgo'', while the taxon ''[[Baiera]]'' is used to classify those with fewer than four veins per segment. ''[[Sphenobaiera]]'' has been used for plants with a broadly wedge-shaped leaf that lacks a distinct leaf stem.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Unverfärth |first1=Jan |last2=McLoughlin |first2=Stephen |last3=Möllmann |first3=Magali |last4=Bomfleur |first4=Benjamin |date=2022-10-02 |title=Sphenobaiera insecta from the Upper Triassic of South Australia, with a clarification of the genus Sphenobaiera (fossil Ginkgophyta) and its delimitation from similar foliage genera |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23818107.2022.2076259 |journal=Botany Letters |language=en |volume=169 |issue=4 |pages=442–453 |doi=10.1080/23818107.2022.2076259 |bibcode=2022BotL..169..442U |issn=2381-8107}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Yongdong |last2=Guignard |first2=Gaëtan |last3=Thévenard |first3=Frédéric |last4=Dilcher |first4=David |last5=Barale |first5=Georges |last6=Mosbrugger |first6=Volker |last7=Yang |first7=Xiaoju |last8=Mei |first8=Shengwu |date=2005 |title=Cuticular anatomy of Sphenobaiera huangii (Ginkgoales) from the Lower Jurassic of Hubei, China |url=https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3732/ajb.92.4.709 |journal=American Journal of Botany |language=en |volume=92 |issue=4 |pages=709–721 |doi=10.3732/ajb.92.4.709 |pmid=21652450 |issn=0002-9122}}</ref>

====Rise and decline====
[[File:Ginkgo biloba MacAbee BC.jpg|thumb|''Ginkgo biloba'' leaf from the [[Eocene]] epoch from the [[McAbee Fossil Beds]], [[British Columbia]]]]

Fossils attributable to the genus ''Ginkgo'' first appeared in the [[Middle Jurassic]]. The genus ''Ginkgo'' diversified and spread throughout [[Laurasia]] during the [[Jurassic]] and [[Early Cretaceous]].<ref name="Zhou-2009"/>

The Ginkgophyta declined in diversity as the Cretaceous progressed, and by the [[Paleocene]], ''[[Ginkgo adiantoides]]'' was the only ''Ginkgo'' species left in the [[Northern Hemisphere]], while a markedly different (and poorly documented) form persisted in the [[Southern Hemisphere]]. Along with that of ferns, cycads, and cycadeoids, the species diversity in the genus ''Ginkgo'' drops through the Cretaceous, at the same time the flowering plants were on the rise; this supports the hypothesis that, over time, flowering plants with better adaptations to disturbance displaced ''Ginkgo'' and its associates.<ref name=royer/>{{rp|93}}

At the end of the [[Pliocene]], ''Ginkgo'' fossils disappeared from the fossil record everywhere except in a small area of [[South Central China|central China]], where the modern species survived.

====Limited number of species====
[[File:Fossil Plant Ginkgo.jpg|thumb|Fossil ''Ginkgo'' leaves from a [[Jurassic]] period [[geological formation|formation]] in [[Scarborough, North Yorkshire|Scarborough]], UK]]

It is doubtful whether the Northern Hemisphere fossil species of ''Ginkgo'' can be reliably distinguished. Given the slow pace of evolution and morphological similarity between members of the genus, there may have been only one or two species existing in the Northern Hemisphere through the entirety of the [[Cenozoic]]: present-day ''G.&nbsp;biloba'' (including ''G.&nbsp;adiantoides'') and ''[[Ginkgo gardneri|G.&nbsp;gardneri]]'' from the [[Paleocene]] of [[Scotland]].<ref name=royer/>{{rp|85}}

At least morphologically, ''G. gardneri'' and the Southern Hemisphere species are the only known post-Jurassic taxa that can be unequivocally recognised. The remainder may have been [[ecotype]]s or [[subspecies]]. The implications would be that ''G. biloba'' had occurred over an extremely wide range, had remarkable genetic flexibility and, though [[evolution|evolving]] genetically, never showed much [[speciation]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=Yun-Peng |last2=Fan |first2=Guangyi |last3=Yin |first3=Ping-Ping |last4=Sun |first4=Shuai |last5=Li |first5=Ning |last6=Hong |first6=Xiaoning |last7=Hu |first7=Gang |last8=Zhang |first8=He |last9=Zhang |first9=Fu-Min |last10=Han |first10=Jing-Dan |last11=Hao |first11=Ya-Jun |last12=Xu |first12=Qiwu |last13=Yang |first13=Xianwei |last14=Xia |first14=Wenjie |last15=Chen |first15=Wenbin |date=2019-09-13 |title=Resequencing 545 ginkgo genomes across the world reveals the evolutionary history of the living fossil |journal=Nature Communications |volume=10 |issue=1 |page=4201 |doi=10.1038/s41467-019-12133-5 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=6744486 |pmid=31519986|bibcode=2019NatCo..10.4201Z }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gong |first1=Wei |last2=Chen |first2=Chuan |last3=Dobes |first3=Christoph |last4=Fu |first4=Cheng-Xin |last5=Koch |first5=Marcus A. |date=2008 |title=Phylogeography of a living fossil: pleistocene glaciations forced Ginkgo biloba L. (Ginkgoaceae) into two refuge areas in China with limited subsequent postglacial expansion |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790308002194 |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=48 |issue=3 |pages=1094–1105 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2008.05.003 |issn=1095-9513 |pmid=18554931|bibcode=2008MolPE..48.1094G |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

While it may seem improbable that a single species may exist as a contiguous entity for many millions of years, many of the ginkgo's life-history parameters fit: Extreme longevity; slow reproduction rate; (in Cenozoic and later times) a wide, apparently contiguous, but steadily contracting distribution; and (as far as can be demonstrated from the fossil record) extreme ecological conservatism (restriction to disturbed streamside environments).<ref name=royer/>{{rp|91}}

====Adaptation to a single environment====
Given the slow rate of evolution of the genus, ''Ginkgo'' possibly represents a pre-[[angiosperm]] strategy for survival in disturbed streamside environments. ''Ginkgo'' evolved in an era before flowering plants, when [[fern]]s, [[cycad]]s, and [[Bennettitales|cycadeoids]] dominated disturbed streamside environments, forming low, open, shrubby canopies. ''Ginkgo''{{'s}} large seeds and habit of "bolting" – growing to a height of 10&nbsp;meters before elongating its side branches – may be adaptations to such an environment.

Modern-day ''G. biloba'' grows best in environments that are well-watered and drained,<ref name=royer/>{{rp|87}} and the extremely similar fossil ''Ginkgo'' favored similar environments: The sediment record at the majority of fossil ''Ginkgo'' localities indicates it grew primarily in [[disturbance (ecology)|disturbed environments]], such as along streams.<ref name=royer/> ''Ginkgo'', therefore, presents an "ecological paradox" because while it possesses some favorable traits for living in disturbed environments (clonal reproduction) many of its other life-history traits are the opposite of those exhibited by modern plants that thrive in disturbed settings (slow growth, large seed size, late reproductive maturity).<ref name=royer/>{{rp|92}}

===Etymology===
The older Chinese name for this plant is 銀果, meaning "silver fruit", pronounced ''yínguǒ'' in Mandarin or ''Ngan-gwo'' in Cantonese. The current commonly used names are 白果 ({{transliteration|zh|bái guǒ}}), meaning 'white fruit', and {{lang|zh|銀杏}} ({{transliteration|zh|yínxìng}}), meaning 'silver [[apricot]]'. The name 銀杏 was translated into [[Japanese language|Japanese]] as イチョウ ({{transliteration|ja|ichou}}) or ぎんなん ({{transliteration|ja|ginnan}}) and into [[Korean language|Korean]] as 은행 ({{transliteration|ko|eunhaeng}}). 銀杏 had been particular terminology used during the [[Song dynasty]] for [[Tributary system of China|tributary]] reasons in place of the then contemporary 鴨脚 ("duckfeet", from its leaves) in northeast China where it commonly grew.<ref name="Hori-2001">T. Hori, "A historical survey of Ginkgo biloba based on Japanese and Chinese classical literatures", ''Plant Morphology'' (2001). 38–9. {{Quote|1. "[[Mei Yaochen|梅堯臣]]の 故郷宣城では鴨脚が栽培されていた。<br>2. 梅堯臣 (1002-1060)と [[Ouyang Xiu|欧陽修]] (1007-1072)が 生きた 11世紀、 イチョウの木は「鴨脚」、実は「鴨脚子」と呼ばれていたが、入[[Tribute|貢]]のため、実の形態から「銀杏」と改称した。}}</ref>

The genus name is regarded as a misspelling of the [[On'yomi|Japanese pronunciation]] {{Transliteration|ja|gin kyō}} ({{IPA|ja|ɡiŋkʲoː|}}) reading the aforementioned [[kanji]] {{Nihongo2|銀杏}}<ref name="Coom94">{{Citation|last=Coombes|first=Allen J.|title=Dictionary of Plant Names|year=1994|location=London|publisher=Hamlyn Books|isbn=978-0-600-58187-1}}</ref> found in [[Chinese herbology]] literature such as {{lang|zh|日用本草}} (Daily Use [[Materia Medica]]) (1329) and ''[[Compendium of Materia Medica]]'' {{lang|zh|本草綱目}} published in 1578.<ref>Hori (2001), p. 32.</ref>

Despite its spelling, which is due to a complicated etymology including a transcription error, "ginkgo" is usually pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|ɪ|ŋ|k|oʊ}}, which has given rise to the common alternative spelling "gingko". The [[spelling pronunciation]] {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|ɪ|ŋ|k|g|oʊ}} is also documented in some dictionaries.<ref name="oxford">{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/ginkgo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322182209/https://www.lexico.com/definition/ginkgo |archive-date=22 March 2020 |title=ginkgo |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite Merriam-Webster |ginkgo}}</ref>

[[Engelbert Kaempfer]] first introduced the spelling ''ginkgo'' in his book {{Langx|la|Amoenitatum Exoticarum|label=none}} of 1712.<ref name=Kaempfer>{{cite book
| last = Kaempfer | first = Engelbert | author-link = Engelbert Kaempfer
| date = 1712
| title = Amoenitatum exoticarum
| location = [[Lemgo]]viae
| publisher = Typis & impensis Henrici Wilhelmi Meyeri, aulae Lippiacae typographi
| pages = 811–813
| language = la
| url = https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/55640517
}} (with illustration)</ref> It is considered that he may have misspelled "Ginkjo" or "Ginkio" (both consistent with his treatment of Japanese {{Transliteration|ja|kyō}} in the same work) as "Ginkgo". This misspelling was included by Linnaeus in his book {{Langx|la|Mantissa plantarum II|label=none}}<ref>See page 131 of Car. a Linné ''Mantissa plantarum'': Generum editionis VI. et specierum editionis II, available at [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/137335#page/181/mode/1up]</ref> and has become the name of the tree's genus.<ref name=michel>{{cite web |last=Michel |first=Wolfgang |title=On Engelbert Kaempfer's 'Ginkgo' |pages=1–5 |publisher=Kyushu University |location=Fukuoka |year=2011 |orig-date=2005 |url=https://catalog.lib.kyushu-u.ac.jp/opac_download_md/2898/Ginkgo_biloba2_revised_2011.pdf}}</ref><ref name=oxford/> The specific epithet {{Langx|la|biloba|label=none}} is New Latin for "two-lobed".<!--repetition, this is explained and cited above-->

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Ginkgo tree in Green-Wood Cemetery (23299p).jpg|thumb|A ginkgo tree in New York during autumn]]
Although ''Ginkgo biloba'' and other species of the genus were once widespread throughout the world, its habitat had shrunk by two&nbsp;million years ago.

For centuries, it was thought to be extinct in the wild,<ref name="Penguin">{{cite book |last1=Usher |first1=Carol |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vl4jAtACVQsC&pg=PA70 |title=Eyewitness Companions: Trees: Identification, Forests, Historic Species, Wood Types |last2=White |first2=John |last3=Ridsdale |first3=Colin |date=2005-10-17 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-7566-4865-7 |language=en}}</ref> but is now a common tree cultivated throughout eastern China, Korea, and Japan. Many municipalities in China, Korea and Japan use ginkgos as street trees, and ginkgo leaves are the emblem of prominent educational institutions such as the [[University of Tokyo]] and [[Sungkyunkwan University]] in South Korea. Despite their widespread habitat, high [[genetics|genetic uniformity]] exists among ginkgo trees, with some Chinese scholars suggesting that ginkgo trees in these areas may have been planted and preserved by Chinese monks over about 1,000&nbsp;years.<ref name="Shen et al.">{{cite journal |last1=Shen |first1=L |last2=Chen |first2=X-Y |last3=Zhang |first3=X |last4=Li |first4=Y-Y |last5=Fu |first5=C-X |last6=Qiu |first6=Y-X |title=Genetic variation of Ginkgo biloba L. (Ginkgoaceae) based on cpDNA PCR-RFLPs: inference of glacial refugia |journal=Heredity |volume=94 |issue=4 |pages=396–401 |year=2004 |pmid=15536482 |doi=10.1038/sj.hdy.6800616 |doi-access=free}}</ref> A study demonstrates a greater genetic diversity in [[Southwestern China]] populations, supporting glacial refugia in mountains surrounding the eastern [[Tibetan Plateau]], where several old-growth candidates for wild populations have been reported.<ref name="Shen et al."/><ref name="Tang et al.">{{cite journal |last1=Tang |first1=CQ |last2=al |first2=et |title=Evidence for the persistence of wild Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgoaceae) populations in the Dalou Mountains, southwestern China |journal=American Journal of Botany |volume=99 |issue=8 |pages=1408–1414 |year=2012 |doi=10.3732/ajb.1200168 |pmid=22847538 |title-link=Dalou Mountains |bibcode=2012AmJB...99.1408T |doi-access=free}}</ref> Whether native ginkgo populations still exist has not been demonstrated unequivocally, but there is genetic evidence that these Southwestern populations may be wild, as well as evidence that the largest and oldest ''G. biloba'' trees may be older than surrounding human settlements.<ref name="Shen et al."/>

Where it occurs in the wild, Ginkgo is found infrequently in deciduous forests and valleys on acidic [[loess]] (i.e. fine, silty soil) with good drainage. The soil it inhabits is typically in the pH range of 5.0 to 5.5.<ref name=florachina>{{cite book |last=Fu |first=Liguo |author2=Li, Nan |author3=Mill, Robert R. |contribution =Ginkgo biloba |year=1999 |title=Flora of China |editor-last=Wu |editor-first=Z. Y. |editor2=Raven, P.H. |editor3=Hong, D.Y. |volume=4 |page=8 |place=Beijing |publisher=Science Press; St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press |contribution-url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200005235}}</ref> While cultivated specimens can survive in a variety of environments (such as a subtropical climate),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hartman Prehistoric Garden |url=https://zilkergarden.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hartman-Prehistoric-Garden-Misc.-Info.pdf}}</ref> the wild ginkgo is native to areas with a mostly temperate climate.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lin |first1=Han-Yang |last2=Li |first2=Wen-Hao |last3=Lin |first3=Chen-Feng |last4=Wu |first4=Hao-Ran |last5=Zhao |first5=Yun-Peng |date=2022 |title=International Biological Flora: Ginkgo biloba |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2745.13856 |journal=Journal of Ecology |language=en |volume=110 |issue=4 |pages=951–982 |doi=10.1111/1365-2745.13856 |bibcode=2022JEcol.110..951L |issn=1365-2745}}</ref>

==Cultivation==
[[File:Gingko biloba JPG2b.jpg|thumb|''Ginkgo biloba'' in [[Morlanwelz-Mariemont]] Park, [[Belgium]]]]
Ginkgo has long been cultivated in China. It is common in the southern third of the country.<ref name="florachina"/> Some planted trees at temples are believed to be over 1,500&nbsp;years old. The first record of Europeans encountering it is in 1690 in [[Japanese garden|Japanese temple gardens]], where the tree was seen by the German botanist [[Engelbert Kaempfer]]. Because of its status in [[Buddhism]] and [[Confucianism]], the ginkgo has also been widely planted in Korea and in Japan since the 14th century;<ref>{{cite web |author=Roger Cohn |title=The life story of the oldest tree on Earth (interview of Peter Crane) |publisher=Yale Environment 360, Yale School of the Environment |date=1 May 2013 |access-date=3 September 2021 |url=https://e360.yale.edu/features/peter_crane_history_of_ginkgo_earths_oldest_tree}}</ref> in both areas, some naturalization has occurred, with ginkgos seeding into natural forests. Ginkgo has been commonly cultivated in North America for over 200&nbsp;years and in Europe for close to 300, but during that time, it has never become significantly [[naturalisation (biology)|naturalized]].<ref name=USflora>{{cite book |last=Whetstone |first=R. David |contribution=Ginkgo biloba |year =2006 |title=Flora of North America |volume =2 |contribution-url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200005235 |place=New York & Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>

''G. biloba'' is also commonly manually planted in cities across the United States and Europe. This species is highly tolerant to pollution and serves as a visually appealing, shade-providing tree in many cities and gardens.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Lukun |last2=Liu |first2=Jiamin |last3=Liu |first3=Jing |last4=Wei |first4=Haiyan |last5=Fang |first5=Yaqin |last6=Wang |first6=Daju |last7=Chen |first7=Ruidun |last8=Gu |first8=Wei |date=2023-05-01 |title=Revealing the long-term trend of the global-scale Ginkgo biloba distribution and the impact of future climate change based on the ensemble modeling |journal=Biodiversity and Conservation |language=en |volume=32 |issue=6 |pages=2077–2100 |doi=10.1007/s10531-023-02593-z |bibcode=2023BiCon..32.2077W |s2cid=257939546 |issn=1572-9710}}</ref>

Many intentionally planted ginkgos are male [[cultivar]]s grafted onto plants propagated from seed, because the male trees will not produce the malodorous seeds. The popular cultivar 'Autumn Gold' is a clone of a male plant.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold' (m) |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/92071/ginkgo-biloba-autumn-gold-(m)/details |website=RHS Gardening |publisher=[[Royal Horticultural Society]] |access-date=1 August 2025}}</ref>

The disadvantage of male ''Ginkgo biloba'' trees is that their pollen is highly allergenic. They have an OPALS ([[Ogren Plant Allergy Scale]]) rating of 7 (out of 10), whereas female trees, which can produce no [[pollen]], have an OPALS allergy scale rating of 2.<ref name=Ogren2000>{{cite book |last=Ogren |first=Thomas Leo |title=Allergy-Free Gardening |date=2000 |publisher=Ten Speed Press |location=Berkeley, California |isbn=978-1-58008-166-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/allergyfreegarde00thom/page/112 112] |url=https://archive.org/details/allergyfreegarde00thom/page/112}}</ref>

Female cultivars include 'Liberty Splendor', 'Santa Cruz', and 'Golden Girl', the latter so named because of the striking yellow color of its leaves in the fall; all female cultivars release zero pollen.<ref name=Ogren2000/>

Many cultivars are listed in the literature in the [[UK]], of which the compact 'Troll' has gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]].<ref name=RHSPF>{{cite web
|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/210450/i-ginkgo-biloba-i-troll/details
|title=RHS Plantfinder – ''Ginkgo biloba'' 'Troll' |access-date=2 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf |title=AGM Plants – Ornamental |date=July 2017
|page=43 |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |access-date=2 March 2018}}</ref>

Ginkgos adapt well to the urban environment, tolerating pollution and confined soil spaces.<ref name="Gilman">{{cite web |title=''Ginkgo biloba'' 'Autumn Gold' |author1=Gilman, Edward F. |author2=Dennis G. Watson |year=1993 |publisher=[[US Forest Service]] |url=https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/trees/GINBILB.pdf |access-date=29 March 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410060540/http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/GINBILB.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2008}}</ref> They rarely have disease problems, even in urban conditions, and are attacked by few insects.<ref name=Boland>{{cite book |author=Boland, Timothy |author2=Laura E. Coit |author3=Marty Hair |url=https://archive.org/details/michigangardener0000bola |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/michigangardener0000bola/page/199 199] |quote=ginkgo tree disease. |title=Michigan Gardener's Guide |publisher=[[Cool Springs Press]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-930604-20-9}}</ref><ref name="SULIS">{{cite web |url=http://www.sustland.umn.edu/design/insect.htm |title=Examples of Plants with Insect and Disease Tolerance |website=SULIS - Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series |publisher=[[University of Minnesota]] |access-date=29 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313232532/http://www.sustland.umn.edu/design/insect.htm |archive-date=13 March 2008}}</ref>

Ginkgos are popular subjects for growing as miniature landscapes known as ''[[penjing]]'' and ''[[bonsai]]'';<ref name="Ma-Ke_Ginkgo biloba">{{cite web |first=Mark |last=D'Cruz |title=Ma-Ke Bonsai Care Guide for Ginkgo biloba |date=15 April 2020 |publisher=Ma-Ke Bonsai |url=https://www.makebonsai.com/post/maiden-hair-tree |access-date=2021-02-04}}</ref> they can be kept artificially small and tended over centuries. The trees are easy to propagate from seed.

===Hiroshima===
Extreme examples of the ginkgo's tenacity may be seen in [[Hiroshima]], Japan, where six trees growing between {{convert|1 and 2|km|mi|frac=4|abbr=off}} from the [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki#Hiroshima|1945 atom bomb explosion]] were among the few living [[organism]]s in the area to survive the blast. Although almost all other plants (and animals) in the area were killed, the ginkgos, though charred, survived and were soon healthy again, among other ''[[hibakujumoku]]'' (trees that survived the blast).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Seeds from Hiroshima atomic bomb 'survivor trees' planted at Oxford Botanic Garden |url=https://www.obga.ox.ac.uk/article/seeds-from-hiroshima-atomic-bomb-survivor-trees-planted-at-oxford-botanic-garden |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=www.obga.ox.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref>

The six trees are still alive. They are marked with signs at {{nihongo|Housenbou|報専坊}} temple (planted in 1850), [[Shukkei-en]] (planted about 1740), Jōsei-ji (planted 1900), at the former site of Senda Elementary School near Miyukibashi, at the [[Myōjin-shō|Myōjōin temple]], and an [[Edo period]]-cutting at Anraku-ji temple.<ref>{{cite web |title=A-bombed Ginkgo trees in Hiroshima, Japan |url=https://kwanten.home.xs4all.nl/hiroshima.htm |website=The Ginkgo Pages}}</ref>

===1000-year-old ginkgo at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū===
[[File:Ginkgo-reborn-2.jpg|thumb|upright|The stump of the ancient fallen ginkgo which has produced new shoots in recent{{When|date=October 2025}} years]]
At the [[Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū|Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū's]] shrine in the city of [[Kamakura]], [[Kanagawa Prefecture]], Japan, an ancient ginkgo tree stands beside the stone entry staircase. According to legend, the tree has stood there since the founding of the shrine circa 1063.<ref name=GreatGinkgo>{{cite web |title=10-The Great Ginkgo大銀杏 |url=http://www.tsurugaoka-hachimangu.jp/precinct_guide/the_great_ginkgo.html |website=Tsurugaoka Hachimangu |access-date=5 May 2018 |archive-date=5 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505135232/http://www.tsurugaoka-hachimangu.jp/precinct_guide/the_great_ginkgo.html }}</ref> The tree is nicknamed ''kakure-ichō'' (hiding ginkgo), because of an [[Edo period]] legend in which [[shōgun]] [[Minamoto no Sanetomo]] was assassinated in 1219 by his nephew, [[Kugyō (priest)|Kugyō]], who had hidden behind the tree to ambush the shōgun.<ref name=GreatGinkgo/>

Modern scholarship has established that ginkgos arrived from China in the 14th century, and a 1990 tree-ring measurement indicated the ''kakure-ichō's'' age to be about 500 years.<ref>Hori (2001). p. 36</ref>

On 10 March 2010, the tree blew down in a storm, but the stump has since sprouted vigorously.<ref name=GreatGinkgo/>

===1,400-year-old ginkgo tree at Gu Guanyin===

The grounds of the Buddhist temple at Gu Guanyin in the [[Zhongnan Mountains]] feature a ginkgo tree reputed to be 1,400 years old.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Genetic Elixir of Life Helps Millennia-Old Ginkgo Trees Escape Death |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thousands-year-old-ginkgo-trees-genetic-elixir-life-180974004/ |website=Smithsonian Magazine |access-date=7 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=This Buddhist temple's 1,400-year-old ginkgo tree is dropping a sea of yellow |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/this-buddhist-temple-s-1-400yearold-ginkgo-tree-is-dropping-a-sea-of-yellow-a6749676.html |website=The Independent |date=27 November 2015 |access-date=7 October 2023}}</ref> The tree itself is a popular tourist attraction.

==Toxicity==
Since 2016, ''G. biloba'' extract is classified as a possible human [[carcinogen]] ([[IARC group 2B|group 2B]]) by the [[International Agency for Research on Cancer]].<ref>{{cite web |title=IARC Monographs on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans |url=https://monographs.iarc.who.int/list-of-classifications/ |access-date=27 April 2023 |publisher=World Health Organization}}</ref>

When eaten in large quantities or over a long period, the seeds may cause poisoning by [[ginkgotoxin]] (4'-O-methylpyridoxine, MPN), as found in a few [[case report]]s.<ref name="Azuma">{{cite journal |last1=Azuma |first1=Fumika |last2=Nokura |first2=Kazuya |last3=Kako |first3=Tetsuharu |last4=Kobayashi |first4=Daisuke |last5=Yoshimura |first5=Teruki |last6=Wada |first6=Keiji |date=2020-06-15 |title=An Adult Case of Generalized Convulsions Caused by the Ingestion of Ginkgo biloba Seeds with Alcohol |journal=Internal Medicine |volume=59 |issue=12 |pages=1555–1558 |doi=10.2169/internalmedicine.4196-19 |issn=0918-2918 |pmc=7364239 |pmid=32132337}}</ref><ref name="kajiyama">{{cite journal |last1=Kajiyama |first1=Y. |last2=Fujii |first2=K. |last3=Takeuchi |first3=H. |last4=Manabe |first4=Y. |date=2 February 2002 |title=Ginkgo seed poisoning |journal=Pediatrics |volume=109 |issue=2 |pages=325–327 |doi=10.1542/peds.109.2.325 |pmid=11826216}}</ref> A heat-stable compound not destroyed by cooking, MPN may cause convulsions, which were alleviated by treatment with [[pyridoxine]] [[phosphate]] (vitamin B6), according to limited studies.<ref name="Azuma" /><ref name="kajiyama" />

Some people are sensitive to the chemicals in the [[sarcotesta]], the outer fleshy coating. These people should handle the seeds with care, wearing disposable gloves, when preparing them for consumption. The symptoms are allergic contact [[dermatitis]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lepoittevin |first1=J.-P. |last2=Benezra |first2=C. |last3=Asakawa |first3=Y. |year=1989 |title=Allergic contact dermatitis to Ginkgo biloba L.: relationship with urushiol |journal=Archives of Dermatological Research |volume=281 |issue=4 |pages=227–30 |doi=10.1007/BF00431055 |pmid=2774654 |s2cid=24855206}}</ref><ref name="pmid14979519">{{cite journal |last1=Schötz |first1=Karl |year=2004 |title=Quantification of allergenic urushiols in extracts ofGinkgo biloba leaves, in simple one-step extracts and refined manufactured material ([[EGb-761|EGb 761]]) |journal=Phytochemical Analysis |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=1–8 |bibcode=2004PChAn..15....1S |doi=10.1002/pca.733 |pmid=14979519}}</ref> or [[blister]]s similar to that caused by contact with [[poison ivy]].<ref name="Mayo">{{cite web |title=Ginkgo |url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-ginkgo/art-20362032 |access-date=26 December 2020 |publisher=Mayo Clinic}}</ref>

[[Side effect]]s of using ginkgo supplements may include increased risk of bleeding, [[gastrointestinal discomfort]], [[nausea]], [[vomiting]], [[diarrhea]], headaches, dizziness, heart [[palpitation]]s, and restlessness.<ref name="drugs" /><ref name="nccih">{{cite web |url=https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/ginkgo |date=1 August 2020 |title=Ginkgo |publisher=National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health |access-date=19 February 2021}}</ref> Although use of [[dietary supplement#Quality and safety|standardized]] ''Ginkgo biloba'' leaf extracts in moderate amounts appears to be safe,<ref name="nccih" /> excessive use may have undesirable effects, especially in terms of [[drug interaction]]s.<ref name="drugs" /> The dosing of [[anticoagulant]]s, such as [[warfarin]] or antiplatelet medication, may be adversely affected by using ginkgo supplements.<ref name="nccih" /><ref name="drugs" />

According to a [[systemic review]], the effects of ginkgo on [[pregnant]] women may include increased [[bleeding time]], and there is inadequate information about safety during [[lactation]].<ref name="drugs" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dugoua |first1=JJ |last2=Mills |first2=E |last3=Perri |first3=D |last4=Koren |first4=G |date=2006 |title=Safety and efficacy of ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) during pregnancy and lactation |journal=The Canadian Journal of Clinical Pharmacology |volume=13 |issue=3 |pages=e277-84 |pmid=17085776}}</ref>

Ginkgo [[pollen]] may produce [[allergic reaction]]s.<ref name="drugs" /> ''Ginkgo biloba'' leaves and [[sarcotesta]] contain ginkgolic acids<ref>{{cite journal |author=Xian-guo |display-authors=et al |year=2000 |title=High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry Study of Ginkgolic Acid in the Leaves and Fruits of the Ginkgo Tree (Ginkgo biloba) |journal=Journal of Chromatographic Science |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=169–173 |doi=10.1093/chromsci/38.4.169 |pmid=10766484 |doi-access=free}}</ref> {{ndash}} which are highly [[allergen]]ic {{ndash}} long-chain alkylphenols, such as [[bilobol]] or [[adipostatin A]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tanaka |first1=A |last2=Arai |first2=Y |last3=Kim |first3=SN |last4=Ham |first4=J |last5=Usuki |first5=T |year=2011 |title=Synthesis and biological evaluation of bilobol and adipostatin&nbsp;A |journal=Journal of Asian Natural Products Research |volume=13 |issue=4 |pages=290–296 |doi=10.1080/10286020.2011.554828 |pmid=21462031 |bibcode=2011JANPR..13..290T |s2cid=25305504}}</ref> (bilobol is a substance related to [[anacardic acid]] from [[cashew nut]] shells and [[urushiol]]s present in [[poison ivy]] and other ''[[Toxicodendron]]'' spp.)<ref name="drugs" /><ref name="pmid14979519" /> Individuals with a history of strong allergic reactions to poison ivy, mangoes, cashews and other alkylphenol-producing plants are more likely to experience an allergic reaction when consuming non-standardized ginkgo-containing preparations.<ref name="drugs" /> The level of these allergens in standardized pharmaceutical preparations from ''Ginkgo biloba'' was restricted to 5 [[parts per million|ppm]] by the [[Commission E]] of the former Federal German Health Authority. Overconsumption of seeds from ''Ginkgo biloba'' can deplete [[vitamin B6|vitamin B<sub>6</sub>]].<ref name="Kobayashi2019">{{cite journal |last1=Kobayashi |first1=Daisuke |year=2019 |title=Food poisoning by Ginkgo seeds through vitamin B<sub>6</sub> depletion (article in Japanese) |journal=Yakugaku Zasshi |volume=139 |issue=1 |pages=1–6 |doi=10.1248/yakushi.18-00136 |issn=0031-6903 |pmid=30606915 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="WadaIshigaki1985">{{cite journal |last1=Wada |first1=Keiji |last2=Ishigaki |first2=Seikou |last3=Ueda |first3=Kaori |last4=Sakata |first4=Masakatsu |last5=Haga |first5=Masanobu |year=1985 |title=An antivitamin B6, 4'-methoxypyridoxine, from the seed of Ginkgo biloba L. |journal=Chemical & Pharmaceutical Bulletin |volume=33 |issue=8 |pages=3555–3557 |doi=10.1248/cpb.33.3555 |issn=0009-2363 |pmid=4085085 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Uses ==
The wood of ''Ginkgo biloba'' is used to make furniture, chessboards, carving, and casks for making [[saké]]; the wood is fire-resistant and slow to decay.<ref name="Penguin"/>

===Culinary===
[[File:Ginkgo biloba 007.jpg|thumb|Close-up of Ginkgo tree bearing ripe, fruit-like sarcotestae]]
[[File:Ginkgo Seed.JPG|thumb|Ginkgo 'seeds' (sclerotestae) with sarcotesta removed]]
[[File:Ginkgo and coconut dessert.jpg|thumb|Ginkgo seeds served with boiled coconut flesh as a dessert in Thailand]]

Despite the health risks in certain cases, the nut-like kernels of the seeds are esteemed in Asia, and are a traditional ingredient in [[Chinese cuisine|Chinese food]]. Ginkgo nuts are used in ''[[congee]]'', and are often served at special occasions such as weddings and the [[Chinese New Year]] (as part of the vegetarian dish called [[Buddha's delight]]). Japanese cooks add ginkgo seeds (called ''ginnan'') to dishes such as ''[[chawanmushi]]'', and cooked seeds are often eaten along with other dishes. Grilled ginkgo nuts with salt are also a popular item at [[izakaya]]s as a snack with beer and other Japanese food.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://wattention.com/a-taste-of-shun-nuts-over-ginko/ | title=A Taste of Sh旬n: Going Nuts for Ginkgo | date=3 April 2018 }}</ref> In Korea, ginkgo nuts are stir-fried and eaten, or are used to garnish foods such as [[Sinseollo|sinseonro]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Seong-woo |title=은행(銀杏) Fruit of the Ginkgo tree |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0042928 |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=[[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]] |language=ko}}</ref>

===Research and safety ===
Although [[extract]]s of ''G. biloba'' leaf are often marketed as cognitive enhancers, there is no evidence for effects on memory or attention in healthy people.<ref name=nccih/><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Laws KR, Sweetnam H, Kondel TK |title=Is ''Ginkgo biloba'' a cognitive enhancer in healthy individuals? A meta-analysis |journal=Hum Psychopharmacol |volume=27 |issue=6 |pages=527–533 |date=1 November 2012 |pmid=23001963 |doi=10.1002/hup.2259 |s2cid=6307491 |type=Meta-analysis}}</ref> [[Systematic review]]s have shown there is no evidence for effectiveness of ginkgo extract in treating [[high blood pressure]],<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Xiong XJ, Liu W, Yang XC, etal |title=''Ginkgo biloba'' extract for essential hypertension: A systemic review |journal=Phytomedicine |volume=21 |issue=10 |pages=1131–1136 |date=September 2014 |pmid=24877716 |doi=10.1016/j.phymed.2014.04.024 |type=Systematic review |doi-access=free}}</ref> [[menopause]]-related cognitive decline,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Clement |first1=YN |last2=Onakpoya |first2=I |last3=Hung |first3=SK |last4=Ernst |first4=E |title=Effects of herbal and dietary supplements on cognition in menopause: a systematic review |journal=Maturitas |date=March 2011 |volume=68 |issue=3 |pages=256–263 |doi=10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.12.005 |pmid=21237589 |type=Systematic review}}</ref> [[tinnitus]],<ref name="Hilton-2013">{{cite journal |last1=Hilton |first1=MP |last2=Zimmermann |first2=EF |last3=Hunt |first3=WT |title=''Ginkgo biloba'' for tinnitus |journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |date=28 March 2013 |volume=2013 |issue=3 |article-number=CD003852 |pmid=23543524 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD003852.pub3 |s2cid=205171459 |type=Systematic review|doi-access=free |pmc=11669941 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sereda |first1=Magdalena |last2=Xia |first2=Jun |last3=Scutt |first3=Polly |last4=Hilton |first4=Malcolm P |last5=El Refaie |first5=Amr |last6=Hoare |first6=Derek J |title=''Ginkgo biloba'' for tinnitus |journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |date=16 November 2022 |volume=2022 |issue=11 |article-number=CD013514 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD013514.pub2|pmid=36383762 |pmc=9668350 }}</ref> post-[[stroke]] recovery,<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Zeng X, Liu M, Yang Y, Li Y, Asplund K |title=''Ginkgo biloba'' for acute ischaemic stroke |journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |issue=4 |article-number=CD003691 |year=2005 |volume=2005 |pmid=16235335 |pmc=6991933 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD003691.pub2 |type=Systematic review}}</ref> or [[altitude sickness]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Seupaul |first1=RA |last2=Welch |first2=JL |last3=Malka |first3=ST |last4=Emmett |first4=TW |title=Pharmacologic prophylaxis for acute mountain sickness: A systematic shortcut review |journal=Annals of Emergency Medicine |date=April 2012 |volume=59 |issue=4 |pages=307–317.e1 |pmid=22153998 |doi=10.1016/j.annemergmed.2011.10.015|s2cid=205542308 }}</ref>

''G. biloba'' and its extracts are not [[approved drug|approved as a drug]] in the United States and do not have sufficient [[evidence-based medicine|clinical evidence]] for uses as a therapy, according to a 2023 review.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Nguyen |first1=Tran |title=''Ginkgo biloba'' |date=3 July 2023 |work=StatPearls |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541024/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |place=Treasure Island (FL) |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |pmid=31082068 |last2=Alzahrani |first2=Talal}}</ref> The United States [[National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health]] concludes that despite extensive research, ginkgo has not been conclusively proved as effective for any health condition, including dementia, cognitive decline, or other disorders for which it is commonly marketed.<ref name=nccih/>

A 2021 umbrella review concluded that ''G. biloba'' may be useful and safe for improving cognitive function and daily living activities in people with [[Alzheimer's disease]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fan |first1=F |last2=Liu |first2=H |last3=Shi |first3=X |last4=Ai |first4=Y |last5=Liu |first5=Q |last6=Cheng |first6=Y |title=The Efficacy and Safety of Alzheimer's Disease Therapies: An Updated Umbrella Review. |journal=Journal of Alzheimer's Disease|date=2022 |volume=85 |issue=3 |pages=1195–1204 |doi=10.3233/JAD-215423 |pmid=34924395|s2cid=245311001 }}</ref> A 2018 review concluded that 22- to 24-week treatment with a ''G. biloba'' extract improved behavioral and psychological symptoms of [[dementia]], and reduced caregiver distress compared to [[placebo]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Savaskan |first1=Egemen |last2=Mueller |first2=Heiko |last3=Hoerr |first3=Robert |last4=von Gunten |first4=Armin |last5=Gauthier |first5=Serge |date=2018-03-01 |title=Treatment effects of ''Ginkgo biloba'' extract EGb 761 on the spectrum of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials |journal=International Psychogeriatrics |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=285–293 |doi=10.1017/S1041610217001892 |issn=1741-203X |pmid=28931444}}</ref> A 2017 overview of systematic reviews concluded that ''G. biloba'' extract may modestly improve cognitive function and daily living in dementia when taken at doses over 200 mg per day for at least 22 weeks.<ref name="Yuan2017">{{cite journal |last1=Yuan |first1=Qiuju |last2=Wang |first2=Chong-wen |last3=Shi |first3=Jun |last4=Lin |first4=Zhi-xiu |title=Effects of ''Ginkgo biloba'' on dementia: An overview of systematic reviews |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |date=January 2017 |volume=195 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2016.12.005 |pmid=27940086}}</ref> A 2016 systematic review concluded that ''G. biloba'' extract reduced [[tardive dyskinesia]] symptoms in people with [[schizophrenia]] and is generally safe.<ref name="Zheng">{{cite journal |last1=Zheng |first1=W. |last2=Xiang |first2=Y.-Q. |last3=Ng |first3=C. |last4=Ungvari |first4=G. |last5=Chiu |first5=H. |last6=Xiang |first6=Y.-T. |title=Extract of ''Ginkgo biloba'' for tardive dyskinesia: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials |journal=Pharmacopsychiatry |volume=49 |issue=3 |date=2016-03-15 |issn=0176-3679 |pmid=26979525 |doi=10.1055/s-0042-102884 |pages=107–111|s2cid=36484519 }}</ref>

In 2014, the [[Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products]] of the [[European Medicines Agency]] concluded  that powdered ginkgo leaf extract is effective and safe for improving cognitive function and [[quality of life]] in people with mild dementia, and licensed it as a medicine in [[Member state of the European Union|member states of the EU]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=''Ginkgo folium'' - herbal medicinal product|url=https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/herbal/ginkgo-folium |access-date=20 May 2025 |date=14 December 2014|publisher=European Medicines Agency|language=en}}</ref>

===FDA warning letters===
Over the period 2021-2023, the US FDA issued [[FDA warning letter|warning letters]] to manufacturers of ginkgo [[dietary supplement]]s for false advertising about [[health claim]]s and misbranding of their products as non-approved drugs.<ref name="fda-warn">{{cite web |title=FDA warning letters (search 'gingko') |url=https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/compliance-actions-and-activities/warning-letters |publisher=US Food and Drug Administration |access-date=27 September 2025 |date=2025}}</ref>

===Traditional medicine===
Ginkgo has been used in [[traditional Chinese medicine]] since at least the 11th century CE.<ref name="Crane2013">{{cite book |last1=Crane |first1=Peter R. |title=Ginkgo: The Tree That Time Forgot |date=2013 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven |isbn=978-0-300-21382-9 |page=242 |quote=According to some sources, the medicinal use of ginkgo dates back to 2800 B.C.… However, the first undisputed written records of ginkgo come much later… Ginkgo first appears in copies of the Shen Nung pharmacopeia around the eleventh and twelfth centuries.}}</ref> Ginkgo seeds, leaves, and nuts have traditionally been used to treat various ailments, such as dementia, asthma, bronchitis, and kidney and bladder disorders. However, there is no conclusive evidence that ginkgo is useful for any of these conditions.<ref name="drugs" /><ref name="nccih" /><ref name="Faran1997">{{cite book |last1=Faran |first1=Mina |last2=Tcherni |first2=Anna |title=Medicinal herbs in Modern Medicine (ṣimḥei marpé bir'fū'ah ha-modernīt) |volume=1 |publisher=Akademon (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) |date=1997 |location=Jerusalem |pages=77–78 |language=he |oclc=233179155 |isbn=965-350-068-6}}, s.v. ''Ginkgo biloba''</ref>

==In culture==
[[File:PrefSymbol-Tokyo.svg|thumb|upright|Symbol of [[Tokyo]], Japan's capital, representing a ginkgo leaf]]
The ginkgo leaf is the symbol of the [[Urasenke]] school of [[Japanese tea ceremony]]. The tree is the official tree of the Japanese capital of [[Tokyo]], and the symbol of Tokyo is a ginkgo leaf. Since 1948, the badge of [[Tokyo University]] has been two ginkgo leaves (designed by Shoichi Hoshino), which became the university logo in 2004 with a redesign.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/about/public-relations/b01_05_01.html |title=東大マーク |website=東京大学}}</ref> The logo of [[Osaka University]] has been a simplified ginkgo leaf since 1991 when designer [[Ikko Tanaka]] created it for the university's sixtieth anniversary.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.osaka-u.ac.jp/en/guide/name-logo |title= The University of Osaka |author= <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher= osaka-u.ac.jp |access-date=October 27, 2025}}</ref>

In professional [[sumo]], wrestlers ranked in the two highest divisions ({{Transliteration|ja|[[jūryō]]}} and {{Transliteration|ja|[[makuuchi]]}}) wear an elaborate [[chonmage|topknot]] called {{Nihongo|{{Transliteration|ja|[[Glossary of sumo terms#ōichōmage|ōichōmage]]}}|大銀杏髷||{{lit|ginkgo-leaf topknot}}}} because it resembles the leaf of the ginkgo tree.<ref>{{cite book|vauthors=Cuyler PL |date=1979 |title=Sumo: From rite to sport |url=https://archive.org/details/sumofromritetosp0000cuyl/mode/2up |url-access=registration |publisher=Weatherhill|location=New York |isbn=978-0-8348-0145-5|page=139}}</ref>

Ginkgo is an official tree of [[Seoul]] since 1971, designated by the [[Seoul Metropolitan Government]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tree, Flower & Bird - |url=https://english.seoul.go.kr/seoul-views/seoul-symbols/4-tree-flower-bird/ |access-date=2023-08-12 |website=Official Website of the |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Ginkgo Tree Ginkgo biloba Trunk Bark 2000px.jpg|Trunk bark
File:Ginkgo-biloba-male.JPG|Ginkgo pollen-bearing cones
File:Ginko bud.jpg|Bud in spring
File:GingkoFruitingTwigSpring.jpg|Ovules ready for fertilization
File:Ginkgo embryo and gametophyte.jpg|Female gametophyte, dissected from a seed freshly shed from the tree, containing a well-developed embryo
File:Ginkgo biloba0.jpg|Immature ginkgo ovules and leaves
File:Gingko fg01.jpg|Autumn leaves and fallen seeds
File:GinkgoSaplings.jpg|A forest of saplings sprout among last year's seeds
File:2014-11-02 12 06 44 Ginkgo during autumn at the Ewing Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Ewing, New Jersey.jpg|Ginkgo tree in autumn
File:Ginko biloba leaves.jpg|Ginkgo biloba leaves
File:HUEB in Fall.jpg|Several golden ginkgos in Hebei, China
File:03-Stack 176 Ginkgo 40x obj leaf print.jpg|Leaf print showing sunken stomata on leaf underside
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[André Michaux]], introduced the ginkgo to [[North America]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Huxley |first1=Anthony |title=He Gave Us the Gingko |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/09/books/he-gave-us-the-gingko.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=17 August 2015 |date=1987-08-09}}</ref>
* ''[[Bartheletia paradoxa]]'', a unique species of fungus that grows exclusively on ''Ginkgo'' leaves
* [[Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park]] in central [[Washington (state)|Washington]], United States
* [[Herbalism]]
* [[List of edible seeds]]

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=nagata2016>
{{cite journal
  |url=https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jjapbot/91/suppl/91_91_suppl_10725/_article
  |journal=The Journal of Japanese Botany
  |volume=91
  |last1=Nagata
  |last2=Hasebe
  |last3=Toriba
  |last4=Taneda
  |last5=Crane
  |title=Sex Conversion in Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgoaceae)
  |doi=10.51033/jjapbot.91_suppl_10725
  |pages=120–127
  |year=2016
}}
</ref>

<ref name=osgf2017>
{{cite web
  |url=https://www.osgf.org/blog/2017/11/7/blandy-ginkgo
  |title=Ginkgo: A Sexual Curiosity
  |website=Oak Spring Garden Foundation
  |access-date=2024-10-21
  |date=2017-11-07
}}
</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Wikispecies|Ginkgo biloba}}
{{Commons}}
{{Scholia|topic}}
* [https://www.conifers.org/gi/Ginkgoaceae.php Ginkgoopsida, Ginkgoales, Ginkgoaceae, Ginkgo biloba (ginkgo) description], The Gymnosperm Database
* [https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ginkgo+biloba ''Ginkgo biloba'' information], [[Plants for a Future]] Plant Database
* [https://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Ginkgo_biloba ''Ginkgo biloba''], PlantUse English

{{Nuts}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q43284}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ginkgo|biloba]]
[[Category:CYP3A4 inhibitors]]
[[Category:Dioecious plants]]
[[Category:Edible plants]]
[[Category:Endangered plants]]
[[Category:Endemic flora of China]]
[[Category:Extant Ypresian first appearances]]
[[Category:Flora of Zhejiang]]
[[Category:Garden plants of Asia]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants of Asia]]
[[Category:Plants used in bonsai]]
[[Category:Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine]]
[[Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Trees of China]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1771]]
[[Category:Trees]]
[[Category:Drought-tolerant trees]]
[[Category:Trees of temperate climates]]