Autumn Gold Ginkgo

Scientific Name: Ginkgo biloba ‘Autumn Gold’

Family: Ginkgoaceae

Origin: China

Autumn Gold Ginkgo
Autumn Gold Ginkgo

Where are they located? Widely planted in the eastern US

 Why is it called Autumn Gold Ginkgo ? Ginkgo is a misspelling of the Japanese words gin (which means silver), and kyo (which means apricot). The Japanese word for apricot was likely chosen to describe the color of the leaves in the fall. Autumn Gold is a cultivar, or cultivated variety. Its leaves turn golden yellow in autumn.

Common Names: Maidenhair Tree

Why is it called the Maidenhair Tree? Because the leaves resemble the foliage of the maidenhair fern Adiantum capillus-veneris

Mature Height: 40-50 feet

Mature Width/Spread: 25-30 feet

Leaves: Alternate, simple, fan-shaped leaves with a scalloped outer edge. The leaves have a leathery feel.  They are green in the spring and summer.

In the fall, the leaves become: golden yellow (Autumn Gold!)

Historical tidbit: It was discovered by explorers who were visiting temples in southeastern China and Japan several hundred years ago and introduced the tree to Europe and North America

Did you know …

  • The female trees have silver-white seeds on them that have a foul smell, like rotten butter after they fall off the tree or when they are mashed.
  • Male trees are often used for ornamental use because they do not have an odor.
  • This tree requires very little pruning and is tolerant to deer and air pollution.
  • The Ginkgo tree has been called a living fossil because it has been found in fossils 350 million years old.
Ginkgo Leaves in Summer
Ginkgo Leaves in Autumn