John, that's a good question. Can't really know, but seems unlikely that 2 or 3 ginkgos would've been planted so close together, so guessing it was low "sprouts" from the original tree that were let grow. It looks to me there are 2 low "sprouts", one on each side.

Ben, beautiful gorgeous photo! My university had those ginkgo trees lined up along the avenue and I missed the show so much

Magnificent tree

Gorgeous! So happy to see this prehistoric genus being grown so well in the heartland of America!

P.S., For those concerned about therir size, there are cultivars that are more vertical, less horizontal.

Stunning tree. One of my top 10 gardening mistakes is "failure to plant a Ginkgo sooner than I did" 🤣. I'm glad I did finally rectify that before my upcoming 50th year! as 41 North alludes to, I chose the Princeton Sentry cultivar because it will have a smaller footprint.

Wolf

Literature suggests male ginkgo trees are more upright than females (my ginkgo must be a male). Interesting that is also the case w/osage oranges, and my male osage oranges support that observation.

Bill Kuhl, holly nurseryman extraordinaire, has remarked on it, and I've noticed it in my garden: male hollies grow a little bit faster and maybe slightly more upright than female ones. I'm not sure if it's for a related reason, but could be. I assume it's just because they don't spend energy making a load of berries.