Tree of the Month
Ginkgo, or Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo biloba)
The College's new logo includes a Ginkgo leaf, and the Alumnae Association has adopted a circle of three ginkgo leaves as its logo.
A Ginkgo tree is located directly in front of Blaney Hall, to the right of the entrance steps as you are facing the building.
The Ginkgo tree bears clusters of fan-shaped leaves with parallel veins on gray twigs. The leaves are green in the spring and summer and turn to gold in autumn. All of the leaves fall at the same time, giving the illusion of a golden skirt spreading around the base of the tree.
Ginkgo leaves are one of the most widely studied botanical materials.
Ginkgos are extraordinarily tough and hardy trees; in Japan, six trees called the "bearers of hope" survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and are still alive today.
Ginkgo trees are a living link to the prehistoric past, having originated over two hundred million years ago. It is believed that ginkgo trees can live up to 3,000 years or more and are considered living fossils.
Ginkgo is also called the "maidenhair tree" because the leaves resemble maidenhair fern leaflets (pinnae).
The Japanese and Chinese names for ginkgo translate as "tree with leaves like a duck foot."
Ginkgo trees are symbols of changelessness, unity, love, and hope. Cedar Crest embodies the strength and stamina of the ginkgo tree, and our students and alumnae represent the unity, love and hope for the future.