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58 The Trees <strong>of</strong> Great Britain and Ireland<br />
1895, P- 444- We are indebted to Mrs. Archibald Little for a photograph taken by<br />
her in Western China, <strong>of</strong> a tree 19^ feet round <strong>the</strong> base, and larger above, which<br />
very well shows <strong>the</strong>se excrescences (Plate 23).<br />
IDENTIFICATION<br />
In summer <strong>the</strong> leaves are unmistakable. In winter <strong>the</strong> long and short shoots<br />
should be examined. The long shoot <strong>of</strong> one year's growth is round, smooth,<br />
brownish, and shining, <strong>the</strong> terminal buds being larger than <strong>the</strong> scattered lateral<br />
buds, which come <strong>of</strong>f at a wide angle. The buds are conical, and composed <strong>of</strong><br />
several imbricated brown dotted scales. The leaf-scars show 2 small cicatrices, and<br />
are fringed above with white pubescence. The short shoots are spurs <strong>of</strong> varying<br />
length, up to an inch or more, stout, ringed, and bearing at <strong>the</strong>ir apex a bud<br />
surrounded by several double-dotted leaf-scars. In Pseudolarix and <strong>the</strong> larches,<br />
which have somewhat similar spurs, <strong>the</strong> leaf-scars are much smaller, and show on<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir surface only one tiny cicatrice. In Taxodium <strong>the</strong>re are no spurs, and <strong>the</strong> scars<br />
which are left where <strong>the</strong> twigs have fallen <strong>of</strong>f show only one central cicatrice.<br />
VARIETIES<br />
The following forms are known in cultivation :<br />
Var. variegata. Leaves blotched and streaked with pale yellow.<br />
Var. pendula. Branches more or less pendulous.<br />
Var. macrophylla laciniata. Leaves much larger than in <strong>the</strong> ordinary form,<br />
8 inches or more in width, and divided into 3 to 5 lobes, which are <strong>the</strong>mselves<br />
subdivided.<br />
Var. triloba. Scarce worthy <strong>of</strong> recognition, as <strong>the</strong> leaves in all Ginkgo <strong>trees</strong> are<br />
exceedingly variable in lobing.<br />
Var. fastigiata. Columnar in shape, <strong>the</strong> branches being directed almost<br />
vertically upwards. 1<br />
DISTRIBUTION AND HISTORY<br />
The wild habitat <strong>of</strong> Ginkgo biloba, <strong>the</strong> only species now living, is not known<br />
for certain. The late Mrs. Bishop, in a letter to <strong>the</strong> Standard, Aug. 17, 1899,<br />
reported that she had observed it growing wild in Japan, in <strong>the</strong> <strong>great</strong> forest north<br />
ward from Lebunge^ on Volcano Bay in Yezo, and also in <strong>the</strong> country at <strong>the</strong><br />
sources <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>great</strong> Gold and Min rivers in Western China. However, all scientific<br />
travellers in Japan and <strong>the</strong> leading Japanese botanists and foresters deny its<br />
being indigenous in any part <strong>of</strong> Japan ; and botanical collectors have not<br />
observed it truly wild in China. Consul - General Hosie 2 says it is common in<br />
Szechuan, especially in <strong>the</strong> hills bounding <strong>the</strong> upper waters <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> river Min ; but<br />
he does not explicitly assert that it is wild <strong>the</strong>re. Its native habitat has yet to be<br />
1 See Garden, 1 890, xxxviii. 602. An interesting article by W. Falconer, who gives some curious details concerning<br />
<strong>the</strong> Ginkgo tree in <strong>the</strong> United States.<br />
2 Parliamentary Papers, China, No. 5, 1904 ; Consul- General Hosie 's Report, 1 8. Mr. E. H. Wilson in all his explora<br />
tions <strong>of</strong> Western China never saw any but cultivated <strong>trees</strong>.<br />
Ginkeo 59<br />
discovered; and I would suggest <strong>the</strong> provinces <strong>of</strong> Hunan, Chekiang, and Anhwei<br />
in China as likely to contain it in <strong>the</strong>ir as yet unexplored mountain forests.<br />
The earliest mention <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> tree in Chinese literature occurs in <strong>the</strong> Chung Sim<br />
Shu, a work on agriculture, which dates from <strong>the</strong> 8th century, A.D. The author <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>great</strong> Chinese herbal (Pen-Tsao-Kang-Mu, 1 578 A.D.) does not cite any previous<br />
writers, but mentions that it occurs in Kiangnan (<strong>the</strong> territory south <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Yangtse),<br />
and is called Ya-chio-tze, " duck's foot," on account <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> shape <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> leaves. At<br />
<strong>the</strong> beginning <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Sung dynasty (1000 A.D.), <strong>the</strong> fruit was taken as tribute, and<br />
was <strong>the</strong>n called Yin-hsing," silver apricot," from its resemblance to a small apricot<br />
with a white kernel. In <strong>the</strong> Chih-Wrt,-Ming, xxxi. 27, <strong>the</strong>re is a good figure <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
foliage and fruit; and <strong>the</strong> statement is made that in order to obtain fruit <strong>the</strong> tree<br />
should be planted on <strong>the</strong> sides <strong>of</strong> ponds.<br />
At present it occurs planted in <strong>the</strong> vicinity <strong>of</strong> temples in China, Japan, and<br />
Corea. It has always been <strong>the</strong> custom <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Chinese to preserve portions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
natural forest around <strong>the</strong>ir temples; and in this way many indigenous species have<br />
been preserved that o<strong>the</strong>rwise would have perished with <strong>the</strong> spread <strong>of</strong> agriculture<br />
and <strong>the</strong> destruction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> forests for firewood and timber, in all districts traversed<br />
by waterways. Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> curious conifers in China and Japan have a very<br />
limited distribution, and Ginkgo is probably no exception ; though it is possible<br />
that it may still exist in <strong>the</strong> region indicated above.<br />
I have never seen any remarkable specimens in China; but Bunge* says that<br />
he saw one at Peking, <strong>of</strong> prodigious height and 40 feet in circumference.<br />
In Japan Elwes says that it is planted occasionally in temple courts, gardens,<br />
and parks. He did not see any very large specimen <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> tree, <strong>the</strong> best being one<br />
in <strong>the</strong> court <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Nishi Hongagi temple at Kioto, which was <strong>of</strong> no <strong>great</strong> height,<br />
but had a bole about 15 feet in girth at 3 feet, where it divided into many wide-<br />
spreading branches which covered an area <strong>of</strong> 90 paces in circumference. This tree<br />
had green leaves and buds on <strong>the</strong> old wood <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> trunk close to <strong>the</strong> ground, which<br />
he did not notice in o<strong>the</strong>r places.<br />
Rein 2 says that <strong>the</strong> largest he knew <strong>of</strong> is at <strong>the</strong> temple <strong>of</strong> Kozenji near Tokyo,<br />
and this in 1884 was 7.55 metres in girth, and according to Lehman about 32 metres<br />
high. There is also one in <strong>the</strong> Shiba park, which in 1874 was 6.30 metres in girth.<br />
The tree is sometimes grown in a dwarf state in pots, but does not seem to be a<br />
favourite in Japan. The wood is somewhat like that <strong>of</strong> maple in grain, <strong>of</strong> a yellowish<br />
colour, fine grained, but not especially valued, though it is used for making chess<br />
boards and chessmen, chopping blocks, and as a groundwork for lacquer ware.<br />
The nuts are sometimes eaten boiled or roasted, but are not much thought <strong>of</strong>.<br />
Ginkgo was first made known to Europeans by Kaempfer, 3 who discovered it in<br />
Japan in 1690, and published in 1712 a description with a good figure <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> foliage<br />
and fruit. Pallas 4 visited <strong>the</strong> market town <strong>of</strong> Mai-mai-cheng, opposite Kiachta, in<br />
1772, and saw <strong>the</strong>re Ginkgo fruit for sale which had been brought from Peking.<br />
1 Bunge, in Bull. Soc. d'Agric. du Depart, de VHerault, 1 833.<br />
8 Rein, Industries <strong>of</strong> Japan. 3 Kaempfer, Amanitates Exotica, 8 11.<br />
* Pallas, Jfeisen difrcfy yersch. Provinzen des Kussischen Ketches, 1 768-1773, vol. iii.