Ginkgo biloba 'Fairmont' / Fairmont Maidenhair Tree

This is one of the full size forms available with a dense pyramidal crown. The branches are semi-horizontal when young becoming upright with age. Probably the oldest known male in the U.S. trade today.

This male cultivar of Ginkgo is practically pest free, resistant to storm damage, and casts dense shade. The tree grows to at least 50 feet tall but the original tree in Fairmont Park, Philadelphia has a spread of only about 15 to 18 feet and resembles a fat, billowy column or oval. The dense crown makes it suitable as a screen or noise buffer. It makes a durable street tree where there is enough overhead vertical space to accommodate the large size. It has good usefulness as a city tree especially where there is narrow overhead space. There are other cultivars with narrow upright crowns including Princeton Sentry and Fastigiata . Ginkgo tolerates most soil, including compacted, and alkaline. The tree is easily transplanted and has a vivid yellow fall color which is second to none in brilliance, even in the south. However, leaves fall quickly and the fall color show is short. Unlike the species, the tree does not set fruit.