Ginkgo biloba - Ginkgo
The Ginkgo tree is considered a living fossil! The earliest leaf fossils date back to 270 million years ago, and it is the last remaining living species of its botanical classification. The species is native to China and has been cultivated in Asia for more than 1,500 years. The oldest Ginkgo in the America is thought to be a tree planted by William Bartram at Bartram’s Gardens in Philadelphia in 1785 and is at least 235 years old.3 Some tree specimen in China are considered to be 2,500 years old. The unique fan-shaped leaves of the Ginkgo are dried and used to make an herbal supplement popular for helping to improve blood disorders, memory problems, cardiovascular function, and eye health.
Andrew "Birch" Kemp
President/Founder, Arboretum Detroit
Birch Kemp was born in Detroit in 1969 on a little street called Woodstock. His first memories of the Riverfront are climbing through holes in a fence to get to it, back when the area was used mostly for parking. He remembers Dequindre Cut when it was wild - dog walkers, graffiti artists, and tent villages. While it was fun to explore before it was developed, he says it’s been wonderful to watch it evolve.
Birch’s favorite tree:
“I love all trees once we let them be for hundreds of years.”
Kinga Osz-Kemp
Founder, Arboretum Detroit
Kinga Osz-Kemp, a native of Hungary, has lived in Detroit for over twenty years. Before the Dequindre Cut was developed, Kinga and her husband Birch used to take their children for walks there when it was full of wild plants, railroad ties, and thistle. They used to dream about strolling along the Detroit River when it was blocked by private parking lots. Now, they love to ride their bikes along the Riverfront and through the Cut, still stopping along the way to eat apples that grow along the path.
Kinga’s favorite tree:
“Cedar and Quaking Aspen.”
This Exhibit Took Place Along the Detroit Riverfront September 1-30