Black Bamboo

I have been a great fan of the Gingko tree since learning that it is one of the oldest trees on the planet, and is more or less unchanged since the days of the dinosaurs. Of course, i am also an enthusiast because of the natural beauty of the ginkgo!

The big feature of this tree is the leaves - they are a beautiful light bright green, almost veinless to look at, and have a very distinctive shape.

This medium sized tree - it typically reaches 20 metres height - was thought to be extinct in the wild, but has been discovered in a couple of remote parts of China.

They are quite slow growing, but extremely long-lived. Trees up to 3,000 years old have been recorded. they are also very disease resistant, and more tolerant of urban pollution than most trees.

The Ginkgo is easy to grow from seed. And if you want one of these remarkable trees inside, they are ideal bonsai specimens.

Interesting note: as evidence of the hardiness of the Ginkgo, some trees growing less than 2 km from the atomic explosion at Hiroshima not only survived but still flourish today, while almost all other life was completely destroyed.