Ginkgo biloba 'Jade Butterflies'
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Tried and True Recommended by 4 Professionals
Common Name: maidenhair tree
Type: Tree
Family: Ginkgoaceae
Zone: 4 to 8
Garden Location: Lang Family Bird Garden
Height: 6 to 12 feet
Spread: 3 to 9 feet
Bloom Time: April
Bloom Description: Green
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flowers: Flowers not Showy
Leaves: Good Fall Color
Tolerates: Clay Soil, Air Pollution, Deer

Culture

Best grown in moist, well-drained soils in full sun. Young plants should be staked for support. Good tolerance for urban conditions.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Ginkgo biloba is a deciduous conifer (a true gymnosperm) that features distinctive, two-lobed, somewhat leathery, fan-shaped leaves with diverging (almost parallel) veins. Ginkgos are dioecious (separate male and female trees). Female trees are considered to be undesirable because they produce seeds encased in fleshy, fruit-like coverings which, at maturity in autumn, are messy and emit a noxious, foul odor upon falling to the ground and splitting open. As a result, nurseries today generally sell only male cultivars which are “fruitless”. Ginkgo trees are commonly called maidenhair trees in reference to the resemblance of the fan-shaped leaves to maidenhair fern leaflets (pinnae). ‘Jade Butterflies’ is a slow-growing, dwarf, male tree that grows in an upright, vase-shaped form to only 4-6’ tall over the first 10 years. However, some authorities estimate this tree may reach as much as 10-12’ tall over the first 10 years. Mature height is currently unknown. Deeply bi-lobed leaves purportedly resemble butterflies with jade green wings, hence the cultivar name. Foliage turns a uniform and very showy golden yellow in autumn. Insignificant greenish male flowers bloom in catkins in spring.

Problems

No known serious insect or disease problems.

Garden Uses

Excellent dwarf tree for small areas of the landscape.

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