Thursday, February 27, 2014

Who Loves Ginkgo?

There is something so universally appealing about the shape and form of Ginkgo leaves that artists have used them in their designs and artwork. Think of the Asian artists, particularly the Japanese or how the Arts and Crafts movement stylized them for decorations.

I looked up information about Ginkgo and found out that the ginkgo is a living fossil, with fossils recognizably related to modern ginkgo from the Permian, dating back 270 million years. The closest living relatives are the cycads, which share with the extant G. biloba the characteristic of motile sperm. Fossils attributable to the genus Ginkgo first appeared in the Early Jurassic, and the genus diversified and spread throughout Laurasia during the middle Jurassic and  by the Palaeocene, only a few Ginkgo species remained in the Northern Hemisphere.  At the end of the Pliocene, Ginkgo fossils disappeared from the fossil record everywhere except in a small area of central China, where the modern species survived.
Ginkgo evolved in an era before flowering plants, when ferns, cycads, and cycadeoids dominated disturbed streamside environments, forming a low, open, shrubby canopy. The large seeds of Ginkgo and its habit of "bolting"—growing to a height of 10 metres (33 ft) before elongating its side branches—may be adaptations to such an environment. (edited from Wikipedia)

I planted a small Ginkgo tree in a planter on my deck. Family questioned my sanity by mentioning how tall it grows but I'm hoping that my great grand children will be around to see in planted in the backyard and thriving in the sunshine!
Now, I'm happy to offer three designs in Thermofax Screens that I've created with Ginkgo Leaves as the inspiration. They come taped and ready in three different sized frames: Small = 3 3/4" x 5", Medium = 5" x 8", Large = 8" x 10 3/4". Check them out here: http://fabricimagery.com/category/nature/




1 comment:

Jeannie said...

I agree with you on the ginkgo. I planted one 10 years ago. They are such slow growing trees, I am surprised more aren't planted. The minature leaves in the spring are so cute! When I sited my studio, the gingko and larch had to be preserved. The studio is now more of a nest between the two trees. :) Have fun with your screens!