Ginkgo trees are actually the only living member of their genus, family, order, class, division this means they have no close living relatives. Ginkgo trees have been around for 270 million years and barely changed the dinosaurs used to munch the leaves! Ginkgo trees are native to China and actually endangered in the wild they grow in small isolated populations that are at risk for extinction due to climate change and habitat loss. Ginkgo trees are non invasive when grown in other places. Female ginkgo trees are actually a good thing because they make seeds which is good for genetic diversity. Seeds have higher genetic diversity because seeds have genetic recombination and genetic crossing and increased chances for mutations. Genetic diversity is important. Unfortunately ginkgo trees are commonly grown as male clones/cultivars these are all clones of one tree. This means that if one is susceptible to a disease then all of them are while no serious disease infects ginkgo trees now diseases mutate and evolve fast. So it’s better to be safe than sorry. The gros michel banana was grown as a cultivar/clone a disease could kill one and it spread and killed almost every banana plant because they were all clones and lacked genetic diversity the gros michel banana nearly got wiped out. Female ginkgo trees are also good because they actually have sticky cones that don’t make pollen and actually absorb male pollen in spring reducing allergies. Male ginkgo trees are important as well because without their pollen female ginkgo trees won’t make seeds.
Ginkgo trees are actually the only living member of their genus, family, order, class, division this means they have no close living relatives. Ginkgo trees have been around for 270 million years and barely changed the dinosaurs used to munch the leaves! Ginkgo trees are native to China and actually endangered in the wild they grow in small isolated populations that are at risk for extinction due to climate change and habitat loss. Ginkgo trees are non invasive when grown in other places. Female ginkgo trees are actually a good thing because they make seeds which is good for genetic diversity. Seeds have higher genetic diversity because seeds have genetic recombination and genetic crossing and increased chances for mutations. Genetic diversity is important. Unfortunately ginkgo trees are commonly grown as male clones/cultivars these are all clones of one tree. This means that if one is susceptible to a disease then all of them are while no serious disease infects ginkgo trees now diseases mutate and evolve fast. So it’s better to be safe than sorry. The gros michel banana was grown as a cultivar/clone a disease could kill one and it spread and killed almost every banana plant because they were all clones and lacked genetic diversity the gros michel banana nearly got wiped out. Female ginkgo trees are also good because they actually have sticky cones that don’t make pollen and actually absorb male pollen in spring reducing allergies. Male ginkgo trees are important as well because without their pollen female ginkgo trees won’t make seeds.
Sounds great!