Also known as Maidenhair Tree, it is a member of the Ginkgoaceae Family, with the Latin name of Ginkgo biloba.      

The deciduous mega- arbor can attain the height up to 40 meters with a chest diameter of 4 meters. Its taupe bark has irregular longitudinal dehiscence. The inter-growing leaves are sparsely arrayed on long branches spokewisely, while every 3 to 5 of them cluster together on short braches. The light green leaf looks like a fan. It's dioecious, but monoecious ones are sometimes found. It bears globular flowers. The female cone bears a long peduncle. The ovoid or sub-sphaeroidal seeds are 2.5 to 3.5 centimeters long, with a diameter of 1.5 to 2 centimeters. The seeds bear fleshy aril covered by whitening and turn straw yellow or orange when ripened.

It prefers subtropical monsoon region with favorable hydrothermal condition. The pH value of the yellow earth or yellow brown earth there is 5 to 6. It usually blossoms in the first twenty days of April. The seeds ripen from the last ten days of September to the first ten days of October. The defoliation lasts from the last ten days of October to November. It enjoys a long life. In China there are 3,000-year-old or older gingkoes in existence. The female plant usually fructifies at the age of 20 or so. Even the 500-year-old trees are still able to fructify regularly.

It's the only species of the Ginkgoaceae Family in existence at present, and is labeled as "giant panda" and "living fossil" of the plant kingdom. The wild ginkgo is only found sparsely distributed in broadleaf forests and valleys 300 to 1,100 meters above sea level on Tianmu Mountain, Zhejiang Province. It's also a rare timber wood and can be used for ornamental purposes. Its seeds and leaves can also be made into medicines.