| General Description | A dwarf cultivar of Ginkgo biloba with blue green foliage and bulky, thick branches this tree lends well to bonsai gardening and as accent trees. |
| ID Characteristic | Dwarf size, short and thick irregular branching and blue green foliage in the summer/spring. |
| Shape | If supported this cultivar is pyramidal in shape, without support it’s shape is rounded due to short branches and dense foliage. |
| Landscape | Used in the landscape industry as a specimen tree, particularly suggested for rock gardens, also common for mass plantings. Due to short maximum height is it also an excellent option for bonsai. Can be grafted onto taller tree trunks if desired for landscaping. |
| Propagation | Propagated through grafting, tree can be grafted onto stems of any height to increase general plant height. General Ginkgo biloba propagation methods in soil may be effective in cloning this cultivar. By cutting laterals off plants with at least 6 nodes and a total height of at least 30 cm and then planting them in an acidic soil with a pH from 5-6, rooting should occur within 20-30 days. Due to the ‘Troll’ cultivars small size and slow growth rate this may take longer than the Ginkgo biloba. |
| Cultivation | Requires acidic soil with a pH from 5-6, full sun exposure can cause burning, so it should be kept in partial sun to full sun depending on tolerance. Roots grow close together and lack of serious pests make is very urban tolerant. |
| Pests | Like the non-cultivar the Ginkgo biloba ‘Troll' is fairly disease and pest free. Too much sun exposure can cause leaves to burn, and they are also targeted by some mice species and voles that destroy plant bark closest to the ground between fall and early spring. Ginkgo biloba leaves are vulnerable to the fungus Bartheletia paradoxa which presents on fallen leaf litter as it originates from the soil around the tree. Thankfully, this fungus only affects the fallen leaves and doesn’t affect the living tree. |
| Notable Specimens | The Columbus Park of Roses at 3901 N High St, Columbus Ohio, in the United States of America has a Ginkgo biloba ‘Troll’ specimen in their Earth-Kind?® Rose Garden near their main parking lot. |
| Habitat | Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description | The trunk of young trees are smooth and gray-brown in colouration, as tree ages it develops deep furrows and cracks in the bark and is up to 5 cm thick. One of the defining characteristics of the ‘Troll’ cultivar is the short, thick, irregular branches. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Leaf buds are light brown, conical, imbricate, surrounded by modified leaves and about 4 mm long. Flower buds emerge from the same buds as leaves. |
| Leaf Description | Parallel venation, blue green leaves in summer, golden yellow in autumn. Diploid leaf shape, up to 25 cm long. Leaves are simple, alternate and can have 1 or two lobes. |
| Flower Description | Male flowers bloom from buds beside leaf shoots in clusters of microstrobilus (cone or wheat like structures) with pollen sacs that hold the sperm of the flower. Wind pollinated, sperm from male flowers carried on wind streams onto female ovules to complete fertilization. Flowering period is spring, however trees will only flower if at least 30 years old |
| Fruit Description | Horticulture applications use only male trees due to unpleasant scent with fruit on female trees, and this cultivar is only available as a male. Female Ginkgo biloba cultivar tree fruits will have have a large oval seed with a fleshy layer protecting it from the elements. Drupes are solitary or in pairs, between 5 and 9 cm long, and ripen to a greenish-yellow colour with patches of orange |
| Colour Description | Bark is muted gray, foliage is blue-green in spring and summer and golden yellow in autumn. Both male and female flowers are light green, and fruits on female trees start green-orange and ripen to green-yellow with orange streaks |
| Texture Description | This ginkgo cultivar is a medium textured plant with dense foliage along the branches and a rounded or pyramidal form. ‘Troll’ is deciduous and loses it’s leaves in autumn, showcasing it’s branch structure. In winter without it’s leaves this plant has a more coarse texture with large irregular branches. |