Ginkgo biloba
Maidenhair Tree 

The Ginkgo or maidenhair tree has distinctive fan shaped foliage. There are two types of leaves: the fast growing shoot typical of seedlings with a prominent apical notch and the slower growing spur shoot foliage that lack a distinct notch (shown here).
The Ginkgo is native to China.  The Ginkgo derives its Latin name from two Chinese words meaning "silver apricot." Humans have been using the Ginkgo medicinally for thousands of years. Ginkgo has remained unchanged for the last 80 million years. It is a member of the Gymnosperms 65 genera and 720 species (naked seed plants) that dominated the earth during the Jurassic period (age of the Dinosaurs). The Ginkgo biloba is the sole remaining species within the Division Ginkgophyta. Ginkgo trees are found as cultivated trees around the world but apparently are extinct in nature.  In Japan and China, Ginkgo can be found at temple sites and in gardens. 

The Ginkgo is a dioecious plant (separate "male & female" plants) and it prefers a moderate climate and deep, rich well drained soil. It can reach a height of 120 feet.
Ginkgo biloba

 Circumference :157 inches
 Height:  64 feet
 Crown Spread :72 feet
 Index: 239 points

Certified by the Texas Forest Service as the largest known tree specimen of its kind in the state of Texas as of 1998.
This tree is located at 605 N. Ellis Street, New Boston, Texas and is owned by Mrs. Willie Mae Morris. 

It is interesting to note that this microsporangiate "male" specimen is located in the region of New Boston, TX known to area residents as Vinegar Hill.  "Female" trees are rarely kept in the landscape due to the fleshy outer layer of the fruit (integument). At maturity, the outer layer of the fruit ferments as it decomposes producing a noxious odor. Trees are almost exclusively propagated from cuttings (asexual). This has resulted in a loss in genetic diversity under cultivation worldwide.  The medicinal products are derived from the fruit of the tree. 
Click here to read the Texarkana Gazette account of the dedication ceremony...
photo courtesy of Greg Felkins Texarkana Gazette
This is a truly spectacular tree. A perfect addition to Mrs. Morris's wonderfully landscaped yard and garden area featuring many Iris cultivars.
Photographs on this page appear courtesy of:
Mr. Jack Hopkins - New Boston, Texas 
Mrs. Willie Mae Morris