Ginkgo biloba

The Ginkgo biloba or “tree with the forty ecus” or “tree with the thousand ecus” (银杏 yínxìng in Chinese, to maidenhair tree in English) is the only current species of the family of the Ginkgoaceae . Better, it is the only surviving species of the division of the Ginkgophyta . One knows seven other species of them now Fossile S and Ginkgo is often described as “alive Fossile”. It is the oldest tree on ground since it appeared there is more than 270 million years. It appeared thus before the Dinosaure S and survived all the climatic upheavals of our planet.

History

Ginkgo biloba is originating in China.

Engelbert Kaempfer, doctor and German botanist remained with the Japan of 1690 with 1692 on mission for the Compagnie of the Indies Dutchwomen. He was the first European to have made a description of this tree in his report Amoenitatum exoticarum (published in 1712).

He brought back seeds of Ginkgo in Holland and it is in the botanical garden of Utrecht that first Ginkgo Européens were planted towards 1750.

The first foot of Ginkgo biloba in France was brought by Auguste Broussonnet (1761-1807) which had received it in present by Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820). Broussonnet then gives it to Antoine Gouan (1733-1821) which plants it in the Botanical garden of Montpellier. It flowers for the first time the April 12th 1812. In 1795, a cutting taken on this Ginkgo of Montpellier is planted with the Botanical garden of Paris. These two trees are always alive to date.

In addition, it is a question of the first tree to have pushed back in the affected area by the explosion of the nuclear bomb with Hiroshima. Since the end of the Second world war, the ginkgo is the symbol even of resistance and longevity.

Origin of the name

The name of tree to the forty ecus comes owing to the fact that the French botanist Mr. de Pétigny bought in 1788 5 seedlings of Ginkgo to an English botanist for the considerable sum of 200 pounds, that is to say 40 ecus of gold.

The name of “tree to the thousand ecus” is also explained by the aspect of its sheets which become yellow gilded with the autumn and form like a gold carpet to its feet.

The Latin name Ginkgo comes from the Japanese form ginkyō ぎんきょう of Chinese 銀杏 (銀 yín “money” 杏 xìng “apricot”; 銀杏 yínxìng “money apricot”). Linné being based on a description in which a typing error was present (a G in the place of the there ), the fault remained with the posterity. In modern Japanese, these Chinese characters decide ichoo イチョウ, the form having given its name to the languages Western is not more used. In fact two Japanese researchers showed why was transformed there into G. Kaempfer was originating in Lemgo, small town of the north of the Germany. However in this area G decides there (, I wet). Anxious to restore the pronunciation of the Japanese terms, it used its dialectal pronunciation of the Latin alphabet.

The word biloba comes as for him from a characteristic from the sheets, split in two lobes

Description

Ginkgo biloba is a Gymnosperme (γυμνός, gymnos , “naked”; σπέρμἅ, sperma , “seed”) what means: “naked seed” (contrary to the Angiosperme S). Its Embryon S of Graine S is not protected by a hull during the Pollinisation and is exposed to the free air.

Ginkgo is a tree of intermediate size, being able to reach 20 to 35 Mr. Their lifespan is very important, since certain specimens are known to have more than 2500 years.

The bark of the Ginkgo young people is initially smooth then becomes cracked and fissured with time. Its color varies the brown one with the gray.

Its Feuille S is single among the plants carrying seeds, since formed of two lobes in the shape of palms. They do not have a central vein like almost the whole of the modern plants and reach from 5 to 15 cm length.

The seed has a size being able to go from 1 to 2 cm and is contained in a yellow-brown Ovule of color from 2 to 3 cm in diameter which one generally takes for a Fruit. Before the autumn, this ovule is smooth and attracting but toxic because it contains butanoïque Acide, besides it feels the rancid Beurre, or the vomit with the autumn when it starts to wrinkle. The seed, as for it, is edible after dénoyautage.

Reproduction

Ginkgo is a tree Dioïque, i.e. that each tree is either male or female. Its very primitive reproduction is a stage between the reproduction of the Fougère S and Conifère S and that of the Plantes to flowers.

Indeed, after having produced these ovules, the ginkgo female receives Pollen that the male ginkgo produced in enormous quantity. This pollen arrives on the ovule, germinates and is trapped by a pollinic liquid where it is transformed into Spermatozoïde which swims towards the gamète female, which points out the antiquated fecundation of the fern. Fecundation can be still carried out even if the ovule fell to ground. Once this fecundation carried out, the young plant develops without passing by the stage of seed to the botanical direction of the term.

The difference essential with the plants with flowers is primarily made on the level production of the ovule. At the plants with flowers, the ovule is very small and once enlarges the plant fertilized by accumulating reserves of food for the future baby (the seed). At the ginkgo, the ovule is already full with nutritive reserves even if this one is not fertilized and in this case, they will have been produced to no purpose. Another characteristic of the ginkgo is that the once fertilized ovule does not have the capacity of hibernation of a seed and must germinate without waiting.

For this reason, one can compare the ovule of the ginkgo with a hen egg which will give a chick only if the hen were fertilized by the cock but which, in the contrary case will have been produced to no purpose.

Only the other plant with ovules is the Cycas.

The sex of a tree is difficult to determine before the production of the reproductive organs (ovules or pollen). Indeed, only the females produce ovules (and thus seeds). The majority of Ginkgo planted downtown are males obtained by propagation by cutting to be sure that they will not produce nauseous seeds in the middle of the winter.

Culture

Ginkgo is not very demanding for the quality of the ground. He likes however the grounds Silice ux or silico- Argile fresh ux.

The trees are easy to obtain by germination of seeds.

Use

Medicine

Ginkgo has very many medical applications (circulation capillary, vasodilator, venous circulation, etc).

Rich person in Flavonoïde S, the extract of sheets of ginkgo is powerful a Antioxydant. Its pharmaceutical use was proposed for its vasodilator capacities what would make it possible to deal with the problems of memory, the Sénilité, the problems of Peau. But also for the Varix S, Hémorroïde S, heavy legs.

It allows to the people reached Syndrome of Raynaud to support the cold.

Food

The seed of Ginkgo uses the composition of the Chawanmushi Japanese. The seeds, comparable with the Pistachio S, are a traditional food in China, often been used for the marriages; they are sometimes also regarded as Aphrodisiaque S.

Ornament

One finds of Ginkgo today in many streets and parks of the big cities because of his resistance to the Pollution. The tree is cultivated intensively (in particular for the medicinal use of its sheets) in Europe, with the Japan, in Korea and with the the United States.

Symbol

The sheet of Ginkgo is the symbol of the town of Tōkyō to the Japan.

Ginkgo biloba is also the tree fetish of the town of Weimar (Germany) in which Goethe resided.

See too

Nut of ginkgo

Photograph gallery

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