maidenhair tree

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Maidenhair-tree
• gingko
• golden fossil tree
• stinkbomb tree

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Ginkgo biloba f. pendula
• Ginkgo biloba var. laciniata
• Ginkgo biloba var. pendula
• Ginkgo biloba f. fastigiata
• Ginkgo biloba f. laciniata
• Ginkgo biloba f. macrophylla
• Salisburia biloba
• Ginkgo biloba f. aurea
• Pterophyllus salisburiensis aurea
• Salisburia adiantifolia var. variegata
• Salisburia adiantifolia var. laciniata
• Ginkgo biloba var. latifolia
• Ginkgo biloba aureovariegata
• Salisburia adiantifolia var. pendula
• Salisburia macrophylla
• Ginkgo macrophylla
• Ginkgo biloba var. epiphylla
• Ginkgo biloba var. fastigiata
• Ginkgo biloba f. microsperma
• Ginkgo biloba var. variegata
• Ginkgo biloba macrophylla-laciniata
• Ginkgo biloba var. macrophylla
• Ginkgo biloba var. triloba
• Ginkgo biloba var. longifolia
• Ginkgo biloba f. adiantifolia
• Ginkgo biloba f. variegata
• Ginkgo biloba var. aurea
• Ginkgo biloba f. parvifolia

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Ginkgoidae. It is uniquely positioned within the order Ginkgoales and the family Ginkgoaceae. Ultimately, it is classified under the single-species genus Ginkgo.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a wide geographical distribution that spans across several distinct regions. In Asia, its natural range includes China South-Central, China North-Central, and China Southeast. Moving toward the European continent, the species can be found in Southeastern Europe, specifically within Romania. Additionally, the plant is present in Middle Europe, notably in Austria. These diverse locations highlight the plant's ability to establish itself across various environmental zones.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Ginkgo biloba is characterized by its status as a "living fossil," a relict species that has survived through geological eras by occupying specific environmental niches. Regarding its Habitat, the species is naturally occurring in kjshakjhdjahkjhd, though in modern contexts, it is predominantly found in managed anthropogenic landscapes and urban environments due to its high tolerance for air pollution and soil compaction. This plant thrives in temperate climates, typically preferring well-drained, sandy or loamy soils with moderate moisture levels. It exhibits remarkable resilience to various stressors, including pests, diseases, and extreme temperature fluctuations, which has allowed it to persist despite the loss of its original evolutionary contemporaries. Its ecological role in contemporary settings often involves providing shade and structural complexity in urban forestry, where its unique physiological adaptations allow it to endure conditions that would be fatal to most other deciduous trees.

Habitat :

kjshakjhdjahkjhd

Life history

The life history of Ginkgo biloba is characterized by its status as a perennial organism, meaning it persists through multiple growing seasons and can live for centuries, often reaching extreme longevity. As a phanerophyte, its reproductive buds are borne on branches well above the ground, a growth habit that allows it to develop into a large, woody tree. This phanerophyte life form ensures that its vital structures are elevated, protected from many ground-level disturbances, contributing to its robust and enduring presence in its natural ecosystem.

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Ginkgo biloba is characterized by its growth form as a large, woody tree that is strictly terrestrial in its habitat. Unlike aquatic or semiaquatic species, it is a self-supporting plant that does not function as a climber, liana, or vine, nor does it exhibit any epiphytic behavior, remaining an independent organism rather than a parasite. As a robust, woody specimen, it can reach a significant plant height, ranging from a minimum of 0.99 m to a maximum of 40 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

tree

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

40 m

Plant height min:

0.99 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Ginkgo biloba is characterized by a complex suite of metabolic and structural adaptations, most notably its utilization of the C3 photosynthetic pathway. In this process, carbon dioxide is fixed directly into a three-carbon compound through the enzyme RuBisCO during the Calvin cycle, a mechanism typical of most woody gymnosperms. The plant's metabolic profile is further distinguished by the synthesis of specialized secondary metabolites, specifically terpenoids (such as ginkgolides and bilobalide) and flavonoid glycosides, which serve crucial physiological roles in protecting the cellular machinery from oxidative stress. These compounds act as potent antioxidants, mitigating damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced during photorespiration or environmental stressors. Additionally, Ginkgo biloba exhibits unique vascular physiology; its tracheids facilitate water and mineral transport, while its specialized leaf anatomy, featuring a distinct cuticle and stomatal regulation, assists in managing transpiration rates and maintaining osmotic balance. The plant's longevity and resilience are fundamentally linked to these integrated physiological processes, which allow it to maintain cellular homeostasis across diverse environmental conditions.

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Ginkgo biloba is characterized by a distinct seasonal flowering cycle and a wide variation in the physical properties of its seeds. The flowering period typically commences around April, though the specific timing can be variable across different environments, and the process concludes around February. The resulting seeds exhibit significant morphological diversity in terms of weight; the average seed mass is approximately 1.52 g, yet individual seeds can range from a minimum of 0.12 g to a maximum of 2.7 g.

Flowering time :

Apr

Flowering time :

Feb

Seed mass max:

2.7 g

Seed mass mean:

1.521836333 g

Seed mass min:

0.12244 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Ginkgo biloba has 5 reported plant parts identified across 120 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, seed, root, fruit, stem.

Leaf

1. Acta pharmacologica Sinica
2. Zhonghua yi xue za zhi
3. Current microbiology
4. Frontiers in oncology
5. Acta pharmaceutica (Zagreb, Croatia)

Seed

1. Biochimica et biophysica acta
2. Biochemical and biophysical research communications
3. Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry
4. Journal of AOAC International
5. Frontiers in plant science

Root

1. Current microbiology
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Journal of natural products
4. Chinese medicine
5. Planta medica

Fruit

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. American journal of contact dermatitis : official journal of the American Contact Dermatitis Society
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Journal of chromatographic science

Stem

1. Current microbiology
2. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
3. Pharmaceutical biology

Chemicals

Ginkgo biloba has 387 reported phytochemicals identified across 120 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Flavonoids, Bilobalide, quercetin, kaempferol, Ginkgolide B.

Flavonoids

1. Dr. Duke
2. Tree physiology
3. International journal for vitamin and nutrition research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Vitamin- und Ernahrungsforschung. Journal international de vitaminologie et de nutrition
4. Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany)
5. Metabolites

Bilobalide

1. Dr. Duke
2. Current microbiology
3. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
4. Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM
5. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology

quercetin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
3. Journal of separation science
4. Biochemical pharmacology
5. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

kaempferol

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
3. Journal of separation science
4. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology
5. The American journal of Chinese medicine

Ginkgolide B

1. Dr. Duke
2. Chinese journal of natural medicines
3. Journal of molecular modeling
4. Brain research
5. Journal of AOAC International

Ginkgolide A

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of molecular modeling
3. Journal of Asian natural products research
4. Journal of AOAC International
5. European journal of pharmaceutical sciences : official journal of the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences

Ginkgolic acids

1. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
2. Journal of natural products
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology
5. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology

RUTIN

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Journal of chromatography. A
5. Journal de pharmacie de Belgique

EGB

1. Zhonghua yi xue za zhi
2. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials
3. Acta pharmacologica Sinica
4. Experimental and toxicologic pathology : official journal of the Gesellschaft fur Toxikologische Pathologie
5. Journal of Korean medical science

Terpenoids

1. International journal for vitamin and nutrition research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Vitamin- und Ernahrungsforschung. Journal international de vitaminologie et de nutrition
2. Journal of molecular modeling
3. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
4. Journal of neurochemistry
5. CNS & neurological disorders drug targets

Activities

Ginkgo biloba has 762 reported activities identified across 120 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Neuroprotective, Anticancer, Antibacterial, Hepatoprotective.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany)
3. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
4. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Neural regeneration research

Neuroprotective

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of molecular modeling
3. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
4. The American journal of Chinese medicine
5. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany)
3. Current medicinal chemistry
4. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
5. The American journal of Chinese medicine

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Biochemical and biophysical research communications
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Frontiers in plant science
5. International journal of molecular sciences

Hepatoprotective

1. Dr. Duke
2. Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening
3. International journal of biological macromolecules
4. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
5. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM

Antidementia

1. Dr. Duke
2. Alzheimer disease and associated disorders
3. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
4. Clinical pharmacokinetics

Antihypertensive

1. Dr. Duke
2. La Clinica terapeutica
3. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
4. International journal of molecular sciences

Antitumor

1. Dr. Duke
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. International journal of biological macromolecules

Cardioprotective

1. Dr. Duke
2. Basic research in cardiology
3. Life (Basel, Switzerland)
4. International journal of molecular sciences

Angiogenic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecular neurobiology
3. RSC medicinal chemistry

Medicinal Uses

Ginkgo biloba has 240 reported medicinal uses identified across 120 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include dementia, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, oxidative stress.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations