Ginkgo or Maidenhair tree

Description:

Ginkgo trees are large trees that can exceed 60 feet tall. The have a unique leaf that is in the shape of a fan that turns bright yellow in the fall. The leaf extract is thought to have valuable medicinal uses. The tree is also considered to be a living fossil as it is virtually unchanged over thousands of years and has no know close living relative.

Habitat:

Most of the Ginkgo trees in the U.S. have been cultivated. They can live most temperate climates and in most any soil conditions.

Notes:

This specimen was photographed in Smithfield, VA not too far from my office. I have always enjoyed the tree but didn't know the significance of it until covering it recently in class.