One of my favorite facts about ginkgos is that they are a prehistoric tree. The first fossil with leaves like the modern ginkgo tree date back to the Middle Jurassic period, some 174-161 million years ago. There used to be an herbivore that ate the seeds of the ginkgo tree, a giant sloth that is now extinct.
The branches of a ginkgo don't spread out as much as those of other trees. They don't have the huge canopies of maples or apples. Young ginkgo trees are thin and spindly like pipe cleaners. Their branches are spaced randomly and tend to be lanky. Their leaves are fan shaped, sometimes with a little notch in the middle. They're most famous for turning a bright yellow in autumn.
I really like ginkgo trees, and I was very happy to learn that Aoyama has lined an entire street with them. They've started turning yellow at the time I wrote this article, but they aren't completely yellow yet. Ginkgo trees make me happy.
