Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo is a survivor from 270 million years ago. Contemporary of the dinosaurs, it outlasted the ice ages and atomic bombings, bringing to bonsai a presence that transcends ordinary aesthetics.
What makes it unique. Ginkgo biloba is the sole living representative of its botanical division — Ginkgophyta — with no close relatives on Earth. Its fan-shaped leaves with parallel venation, absolutely distinctive, have no equivalent in the current plant kingdom. In autumn, they turn within days to a pure, luminous golden yellow before falling almost simultaneously — a brief and intense spectacle. The trunk develops with age a deeply furrowed bark of geological relief, and aged specimens produce characteristic aerial root outgrowths called chichi (乳) — literally "breasts" in Japanese — considered symbols of longevity and fertility in Asian culture.
Origin. Ginkgo biloba originates from eastern China, where it survives in a semi-wild state in the provinces of Zhejiang and Anhui. The species was preserved for millennia in Buddhist and Taoist temples — without this cultural protection, it would probably have disappeared. Introduced to Europe in the 18th century, it was nicknamed the "forty-coin tree" in France due to the price paid for the first imported specimen. Planted in Hiroshima less than one kilometre from the 1945 epicentre, a Ginkgo resprouted the following spring — its charred trunk is still visible today.
A patient bonsai without compromise. Ginkgo is a robust species that tolerates pollution, varied soils, and handling well. In bonsai, its principal requirement is time — it takes several years for the trunk to develop character and for ramification to densify. It amply rewards this patience with an unmatched autumnal foliage and a historical presence no other tree can claim.
Ginkgo is a survivor from 270 million years ago. Contemporary of the dinosaurs, it outlasted the ice ages and atomic bombings, bringing to bonsai a presence that transcends ordinary aesthetics.
What makes it unique. Ginkgo biloba is the sole living representative of its botanical division — Ginkgophyta — with no close relatives on Earth. Its fan-shaped leaves with parallel venation, absolutely distinctive, have no equivalent in the current plant kingdom. In autumn, they turn within days to a pure, luminous golden yellow before falling almost simultaneously — a brief and intense spectacle. The trunk develops with age a deeply furrowed bark of geological relief, and aged specimens produce characteristic aerial root outgrowths called chichi (乳) — literally "breasts" in Japanese — considered symbols of longevity and fertility in Asian culture.
Origin. Ginkgo biloba originates from eastern China, where it survives in a semi-wild state in the provinces of Zhejiang and Anhui. The species was preserved for millennia in Buddhist and Taoist temples — without this cultural protection, it would probably have disappeared. Introduced to Europe in the 18th century, it was nicknamed the "forty-coin tree" in France due to the price paid for the first imported specimen. Planted in Hiroshima less than one kilometre from the 1945 epicentre, a Ginkgo resprouted the following spring — its charred trunk is still visible today.
A patient bonsai without compromise. Ginkgo is a robust species that tolerates pollution, varied soils, and handling well. In bonsai, its principal requirement is time — it takes several years for the trunk to develop character and for ramification to densify. It amply rewards this patience with an unmatched autumnal foliage and a historical presence no other tree can claim.