The plant is a referenced in the Kew Hand-List of Coniferae, 1st Edition, 1876, p. 19, and again in 1940 in the Manual of Cultivated Trees and Shrubs, MacMillan. The name predates 1959 and a Latin name is therefore permitted to be used to describe this cultivar. It is doubtful that the original French clone is still in cultivation. However, there are plenty of nurseries who supply plants named ‘Fastigiata’, which undoubtedly derive from very different sources and have variable characteristics. This is probably why the Royal Horticultural Society have conveniently put them into a group  - Ginkgo biloba  ‘Fastigiata Group’.
 
Description - Ginkgo biloba  ‘Fastigiata’ should be a male tree that has foliage typical to the species, 4cm to 7.5cm wide. It should have a strong leader and an upright habit. The overall impression should be conical to columnar. Th tree should be vigorous, growing 30cm - 45cm a year. The tree should attain a height of 8m with a spread of 1.5m – 2.0m. and will broaden with age.