Ginkgo

Ginkgo biloba

tree

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), the maidenhair tree, is a living fossil - an ancient, almost pest-proof, fan-leaved tree of 50 to 80 ft famous for brilliant gold fall color. It is dioecious: only female trees bear the round, fleshy seeds, whose nut-like kernel is a delicacy in East Asian cooking. The catch is that the female seed pulp smells foul and irritates skin, so landscapers usually plant males - but for the nut you need a female, with a male within pollination range. Ginkgo is famously tolerant of city pollution, poor soil, and neglect, but very slow to come into seed, often 15 to 20 years or more.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Clover — A nitrogen-fixing groundcover for the soil under a young tree
• Yarrow — Draws beneficial insects and tolerates the same tough conditions
• Hosta — A shade-tolerant perennial that fills the ground beneath the canopy

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Few serious pests

  Ginkgo is remarkably free of insect and disease problems; the main care is simply good drainage and patience

• Root rot →

  The one real risk is wet feet - plant in well-drained soil and avoid overwatering

• Leaf scorch →

  Browning leaf edges follow severe drought in young trees; water deeply during establishment until roots are deep

🌾 Harvest & storage

The seeds ripen in fall and drop to the ground with their soft, fleshy, strong-smelling coat. Wear gloves and gather them up, then remove and discard the pulp - it irritates skin like poison ivy - to reveal the hard, pale inner shell. Rinse and dry the shelled nuts. Before eating, the inner kernel must be cooked (roasted, boiled, or steamed), and eaten only in small amounts. Handle the whole process in gloves and wash up well afterward.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

The ginkgo nut is a soft, chewy, faintly sweet delicacy in Asian cuisine - in congee, soups, and savory dishes - but is strictly a small-portion food because of its ginkgotoxin content; never eat it raw or in quantity. As a tree, ginkgo is unmatched as a tough, long-lived, pollution-proof shade and street tree with spectacular, uniform golden fall color.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Only female ginkgo trees bear the seeds. The soft outer pulp smells strongly of rancid butter and can irritate skin like poison ivy - wear gloves to handle it. The inner nut is edible cooked and is eaten in Asian cooking, but it contains ginkgotoxin (MPN): eating more than a small number, especially by children, can cause poisoning and even seizures. Keep portions small and never eat the nuts raw.