Family: Ginkgoaceae
Origin, Description & Uses
Ginkgo biloba, commonly called the maidenhair tree, is a unique and ancient tree native to China. It is easily recognized by its fan-shaped leaves that turn a bright yellow in the fall, adding striking color to landscapes. Ginkgo trees can grow to impressive heights and are often planted as street trees or in parks due to their resistance to pollution and pests. Beyond its ornamental value, ginkgo leaves have been used in traditional medicine, and extracts are sometimes marketed as supplements for memory and circulation.
Risks & Threats
Ginkgo biloba is considered low risk in Hawaiʻi and does not tend to spread aggressively in the wild. It generally poses minimal threat to native ecosystems and is not known to outcompete native plants. The main consideration is that female trees produce seeds with a strong odor when they fall, which can be messy in urban or garden settings. Overall, ginkgo is a safe choice for planting as a resilient and visually appealing tree.
High Risk Traits:
- Grows in a broad range of climates (temperate to warm-temperate)
- Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions (poor, compacted, acidic, alkaline)
- History of repeated introductions outside native range
- Reproduces by vegetative fragmentation (cuttings, suckering)
- Seeds dispersed intentionally by people
- Seeds dispersed by birds and survive gut passage
- Dioecious; female trees produce fleshy seeds with foul odor
- Contains allergenic compounds (urushiol-like) in fleshy seed coat; can cause dermatitis
Low Risk Traits:
- No evidence of naturalization or weediness despite centuries of cultivation
- Unarmed (no spines, thorns, burrs)
- No evidence of toxicity to animals
- Not shade-tolerant (requires full sun)
- Dioecious; requires both male and female trees for seed production
- Long juvenile period (20–40 years before seed production)
- No evidence of prolific seed production (>1000/m²) or persistent seed bank
- Not adapted to wind or external animal dispersal
