Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) plant
The gingko tree is often called " a living fossil", the Ginkgophytos (Ginkgo Plant) has existed since prehistoric times (aprox.hace 290 million years). Gingko biloba is currently the only existing representative of the family of Gingkophytos. Gingko, with typical fan-shaped sheet also called Fan tree and comes from eastern Asia, where it was cultivated over 1000 years ago as a temple tree in China, Japan and Korea. By 1730 it was brought to Europe by the Dutch as an ornamental tree. Gingko which grow to millenary is considered in Asia as a symbol of hope, harmony and energy. In Hiroshima where the famous ginkgo rose temple was destroyed by fire during the explosion of the atomic bomb in 1945, it resprouted again the same year. Gingko is bisexual, there are male and female plants, although sexual maturity is not reached until age 30. Furthermore the gingko tree can be grown as bonsai, although for this the type Tubifolia is used with a smaller leaf.
Soil: Gingko is not very picky about soil, nor is it susceptible to environmental pollution. Therefore the trees grow well in the city, although only male plants (multiplied by cuttings) are used, since the fruits in females release a slimy, smelly fluid in autumn. The tree has no problems with insect pests or fungi, virus or bacteria.
Light: Semi-shade to sun.
Multiplication: by cuttings and seeds. The seeds have to be undergo a cold period and also be sanded with sandpaper to succeed in germinating. Another method is to bury the seeds about 30 cm deep in the garden in winter, dig them up in spring and leave them in warm water until the end of April and then plant them about 3 cm deep.
In winter: withstands temperatures of up to – 30ºC below zero, but it loses its leaves in autumn. However, the young Ginkgo is very sensitive to frost and should therefore be protected under a cover of weeds.
Uses:
In the kitchen: The roasted seeds are used in Japan as a snack. Chopped toasted kernels are also used in Asian cooking. Medicinal tea with leaves.
In the home: Gingko leaves between the pages of the books keep the bugs away.
Medicinal: Ginkgo extract is present in a large number of drugs, and because these can not still be synthesized large plantations are being planted in the US. Gingko leaves and seeds have a high adjuvant effect for the circulatory system and as an antioxidant .. Gingko is often used for the improvement of memory capacity (with senile dementia and Alzheimer). In Chinese medicine, the gingko also has a long tradition. The fruit can cause allergies.
