Woody > Ginkgo > Ginkgo biloba > Ginkgo biloba 'Anny's Zebra'
Ginkgo biloba
'Anny's Zebra'
Anny's Zebra Ginkgo
Origin: Discovered and bred by a man in 1990 by the name of Andre van Nijnatten in the Netherlands, whom all plants discovered by him have the prefix ‘Anny’ in front (also having discovered Anny’s Dwarf).
Mike's
Opinion
"
The ginkgo is a tree that resembles, at first glance, a typical broadleaf flowering angiosperm, but is very far removed from flowering plants, and even recently from higher gymnosperms such as pines or cedars-- despite being more physically and genetically similar. The tree is a missing link between lower plants such as ferns and cycads, and higher plants such as gymnosperm conifers and flowering pants. It has much more in common with ferns and tree ferns than conifers, in that it produces swimming sperm cells, and that the seeds are produced on modified leaves rather than flowers. Anny’s Zebra is a dwarf ginkgo that reaches only 3-4 m tall and has unusual larger, deeply lobed leaves that resemble the prehistoric ancestor of the Ginkgo biloba; Ginkgo apodes. The leaves also have a unique zebra stripe pattern with yellow and green stripes, as long as the plant gets enough sunlight.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
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| Family |
| Ginkgoaceae |
| Genus |
| Ginkgo |
| Species |
| biloba |
| Cultivar |
| 'Anny's Zebra' |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Shrub (deciduous) |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 4 - 8 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 2a - 8a |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H4 - H7 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| (-34) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| (-30) |
| Height |
| 5 m |
| Spread |
| 3 - 4 m |
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| This dwarf variety of deciduous conifer can be either a large shrub or a small tree that has brown–tan corky fissured bark, and deeply lobed fan shaped leaves that have a variegated striped pattern. It produces green nut fruit on female plants which smells terrible, and leaves which are born on mounding buds which build up over the years. Leaves turn a lemon yellow in autumn and drop rapidly. |
| Landscape |
| Anny’s Zebra Ginkgo tree can be used in the landscape as a specimen tree due to its unique foliage, and can become a handsome shrub in smaller gardens where a regular ginkgo would prove too massive, due to its compact columnar shape, relative ease of growing, and resistance to pests and stressors. Another use for this cultivar is container growing, as it is a much smaller and slow growing breed, it can be grown in a large pot, although it will reduce the overall height by half. Another potential use for this cultivar is bonsai, as it could be more easily trained than the faster growing full size ginkgo, and would make a conversation piece due to its lobed, striped foliage. |
| Cultivation |
| It will do best in full, strong sunlight with good drainage, with sandy soil that is fertile. Can tolerate a soil pH of 5.0-8.0. Will tolerate extreme cold weather and pollution in urban environments without showing stress. It can also tolerate moderate levels of salt in the soil that would affect many other trees. Does well in heat and alkalinity. |
| Shape |
| Forms a dense to medium branched shrub with a columnar shape. |
| Growth |
| Slow |
| ID Characteristic |
| Leaves are unmistakable fan shaped, with deep round lobes versus the non-cultivar plain ginkgo. Variegation is subtle, but adds a noticeable green and yellow alternating pattern that resembles a zebra’s hide parallel to the veins. Buds are alternating and mounded, growing taller out of the same part of stem each year, creating a knob effect. The bark is fissured, and has a rubbery-cork texture when touched. |
| Pests |
| No notable pests or diseases. |
| Habitat |
| Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Young stems are glabrous, with new growth taking on a green-yellow colour, later maturing to a light brown-grey bark that slightly exfoliates with a rubbery cork feel when touched. In older stems, the bark turns darker grey, with vertical fissures that turn into deep furrows, and ridges on older trees with irregular plating pattern. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Buds are alternate, spurring, mounding in the same spot every year to create projecting, raised buds that bear 3-5 leaves out of a single bud. It has male pollen cones, and female ovules. The bud is imbricate, and can grow up to 8 cm long on older branches. The buds are the same colour as the stem, with a green colour on young stems turning into a light grey-brown. |
| Leaf Description |
| The leaves are fan-shaped, dichotomous pattern of veins, with two veins on the petiole dividing into two veins at the outer margin of the leaf. The margins are deeply lobed but very narrow, almost dissected with a finger shape to them. The leaves are larger than a regular Ginkgo’s at 7 – 11 cm wide and 5 – 7 cm long. The colour is bright green with alternating yellow veins creating a striped effect. The petiole is 7 – 11 cm long. Glossy and glabrous appearance. Autumn colour is lemon yellow. |
| Flower Description |
| The tree is dioecious (female and male flowers are found on completely different and separate trees). The flowers of a male tree bear a resemblance to catkins, and are termed pollen cones. They are green, and are born out of the leaf buds in clusters at the base in a star formation below the leaves. They grow to 2 – 3 cm long. The female flower originates from a pedicle 4 – 5 cm long, bearing a round green ovule by itself or in pairs, and has a droplet at the end to catch the pollen. |
| Fruit Description |
| Female trees will produce orange-yellow fruits, similar in shape to a cherry or drupe, that grows to 2-3 cm in diameter. It is not a true fruit, but a large seed that has a disgusting smelling outer skin that is the gametophyte, and the inner seed is beige-white in colour and almond shaped. |
| Colour Description |
| Leaves are a glossy green with subtle hints of yellow striping when viewed up close. The leaves turn a lemon yellow in the fall |
| Texture Description |
| Medium Texture. |
| Notable Specimens |
| The Ginkgo tree at the Hannah House, Fredrick, Maryland, United States. It is one of the oldest and largest Maidenhair trees in North America, with a height of 28 m, and an equally large spread with a girth of 4 m. |
| Propagation |
| The first method to propagate a ginkgo tree is by rooting a cutting from a grown tree during summer to root in the fall. This can be done by pruning off (with sterile tools) a 15-18 cm piece of stem that is partially woody or still herbaceous, and dipping it into a rooting hormone to accelerate root growth. After, it can be planted into damp, wet soil and watered daily until the roots develop in 1-2 months. The second and easiest way would be to germinate a seedling from a ripe seed. This can be accomplished by gathering mature seeds in the fall from the trees, and washing them in warm water to remove the outermost coat before storing in a cold, dry space. They will germinate better if scarified to simulate being eaten by animals, by scraping the surface with a knife, or roughing it with sandpaper, and/or stratified by placing it in a refrigerator or cold cellar. Sow into a sandy potting soil about 1-2 cm deep. Germination should occur and seedlings should be misted or watered lightly, but the soils shouldn’t dry out completely. |
| Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer) |
| Ginkgo seeds can be harvested, boiled and eaten, including both the rind and nut of the fruit, and have been eaten by the Chinese and Japanese. The tree is revered in China by Buddhist monks, and was cultivated for several thousand years in their temples, which may have saved it from extinction. An extract made from the Ginkgo tree is used as a medicine to boost memory performance. Traditionally, the wood of a Ginkgo tree is used to make religious articles and carvings. Some of the oldest cultivated Ginkgo trees are found surrounding Buddhist temples and religious shrines in China, eluding to their ancient religious value in certain cultures. Ginkgo’s fine, light wood is also traditionally used to top chess sets and other delicate wooden structures. Still today, in some Asian cultures, these trees are planted in gardens to signify momentous occasions. Medically, Ginkgo has been used for many centuries in ancient Chinese practices, but has also become popular in today’s pharmaceutica |
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