Ginkgo biloba

Also known as maidenhair tree, silver apricot, ginkgo plant, ginkgo tree, ginkgo

species of ginkgo tree

OverviewAI-generated

Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as the Maidenhair Tree, is a species of deciduous plant within the family Ginkgoaceae. It belongs to the order Ginkgoales, class Ginkgoopsida, and phylum Tracheophyta. The species is native to Southeast China and has been introduced to regions including Austria, North-Central and South-Central China, Illinois, Japan, Korea, and Romania. Its taxonomic range includes Beijing, Fujian, and Guangdong.

The species has existed for about 52 million years. It is currently rated as Endangered by the IUCN, a status assigned in 1998. Ginkgo biloba has various uses, including afforestation, as a medicinal plant, for wood, and as food. The taxon was described by L. and appears in sources such as the Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition and Gujin Tushu Jicheng.

Synthesized by Vinony from 49 facts across 9 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, PubMed, Gbif Occ, Plants of the World, IUCN Red List, WoRMS, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Endangered

Ginkgo biloba

SPECIES

KingdomPlantae
PhylumTracheophyta
ClassGinkgoopsida
OrderGinkgoales
FamilyGinkgoaceae

Native toChina Southeast

Observations recorded64,123

General: Ginkgo biloba is rated as Endangered (EN) according to IUCN

via GBIF · IUCN · Kew POWO

Museum specimens

Specimen records: 2,206
With media: 1,452
Family: Ginkgoaceae
Collections: UACH, FMNH, IIB-UV, USNM, UCMP, NY
Recorded in: Mexico, United States

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Research

5,773 papers

Neuroprotective and Antioxidant Effect of Ginkgo biloba Extract Against AD and Other Neurological Disorders.ReviewNeurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2019Singh SK, Srivastav S, Castellani RJ et al.DOI: 10.1007/s13311-019-00767-8
Ginkgo biloba: indications, mechanisms, and safety.ReviewThe Psychiatric clinics of North America · 2013Diamond BJ, Bailey MRDOI: 10.1016/j.psc.2012.12.006
Ginkgo biloba.ReviewAmerican family physician · 2003Sierpina VS, Wollschlaeger B, Blumenthal M
Efficacy and adverse effects of ginkgo biloba for cognitive impairment and dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2015Tan MS, Yu JT, Tan CC et al.DOI: 10.3233/JAD-140837
Ginkgo biloba and Its Chemical Components in the Management of Alzheimer's Disease.ReviewThe American journal of Chinese medicine · 2024Peng Y, Chen Q, Xue YH et al.DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X24500277
Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 is safe and effective in the treatment of mild dementia - a meta-analysis of patient subgroups in randomised controlled trials.The world journal of biological psychiatry : the official journal of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry · 2025Riepe M, Hoerr R, Schlaefke SDOI: 10.1080/15622975.2024.2446830
Ginkgo biloba--an appraisal.ReviewKathmandu University medical journal (KUMJ) · 2004Dubey AK, Shankar PR, Upadhyaya D et al.
Impact of Ginkgo biloba drug interactions on bleeding risk and coagulation profiles: A comprehensive analysis.PloS one · 2025Mai NTQ, Hieu NV, Ngan TT et al.DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0321804

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Instance of: taxon
Parent taxon: Ginkgo
Image: Ginkgo biloba. filare.jpg
Has use: food

Show 13 more facts

taxon rank: species
IUCN conservation status: Endangered status
taxon name: Ginkgo biloba
Commons gallery: Ginkgo biloba
Commons category: Ginkgo biloba
GRIN URL: npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=17540
start time: 51500000-0
taxon common name: 银杏
taxon range: Guangdong
described by source: Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
short name: G. biloba
taxon author citation: L.
foliage type: deciduous plant

Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

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Encyclopedic overview

Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo (/ˈɡɪŋkoʊ, ˈɡɪŋkɡoʊ/ GINK-oh, -⁠goh), also known as the maidenhair tree, and often misspelled "gingko" (see Etymology below) is a species of gymnosperm tree native to East Asia. It is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million years ago. Fossils similar to the living species, belonging to the genus Ginkgo, extend back to the Middle Jurassic epoch about 170 million years ago. The tree was cultivated early in human history, remains commonly planted, and is widely regarded as a living fossil.

G. biloba is a long-lived, disease-resistant, dioecious tree with unique fan-shaped leaves, capable of clonal reproduction, and known for its striking yellow autumn foliage and resilience in disturbed environments. It was known historically as "silver fruit" or "white fruit" in Chinese and called "ginkgo" due to a centuries-old transcription error. It is closely related to cycads and characterized by unique seeds that resemble apricots but are not true fruits.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ginkgo biloba” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.