Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba, known as Ginkgo or as the Maidenhair Tree, is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta, all others being extinct. It is found in fossils dating back 270 million years. Native to China, the tree is widely cultivated and was introduced early to human history. It has various uses in traditional medicine and as a source of food. The genus name Ginkgo is regarded as a misspelling of the Japanese gin kyo, "silver apricot".
Ginkgo biloba has a very distinct appearance characterized by its fan-shaped leaves. In fact, the Japanese sometimes call this species I-cho, "tree with leaves like a duck's foot." It can grow up to 30 meters tall and can live for a millenium. It is also well-known for its unique seeds, which have long been used as a food source in Asia. The smell of a great mass of rotting seeds can also be overpowering. In the horticultural literature, it is variously referred to as "disagreeable," "evil," "offensive," "disgusting," "repulsive," and "abominable," and is often compared to the odor of vomit. It is due to the malodorous chemical compound butyric acid, which is found in the integument of the seed; it is the same compound that gives rancid butter its "distinctive" smell.
Ginkgo biloba is a highly adaptable plant that can grow in almost any temperate or Mediterranean climate. It is also resistant to pollution and pests. These attributes have made the male ginkgos very popular in cities.
The Ginkgoales are a group of gymnosperms that date back to the Permian. The group is thought to be more closely related to conifers than to any other gymnosperms. During the middle Jurassic, the Ginkgoales experienced a great increase in species and reached their maximum diversity during the Cretaceous with several species identifiable in what is now Asia, Europe and North America. During the Paleocene, Ginkgoalean diversity was reduced to a single polymorphic species referred to as Gingko adiantoides. This species is almost indistinguishable from the extant Ginkgo biloba.
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba, known as Ginkgo or as the Maidenhair Tree, is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta, all others being extinct. It is found in fossils dating back 270 million years. Native to China, the tree is widely cultivated and was introduced early to human history. It has various uses in traditional medicine and as a source of food. The genus name Ginkgo is regarded as a misspelling of the Japanese gin kyo, "silver apricot".
Ginkgo biloba has a very distinct appearance characterized by its fan-shaped leaves. In fact, the Japanese sometimes call this species I-cho, "tree with leaves like a duck's foot." It can grow up to 30 meters tall and can live for a millenium. It is also well-known for its unique seeds, which have long been used as a food source in Asia. The smell of a great mass of rotting seeds can also be overpowering. In the horticultural literature, it is variously referred to as "disagreeable," "evil," "offensive," "disgusting," "repulsive," and "abominable," and is often compared to the odor of vomit. It is due to the malodorous chemical compound butyric acid, which is found in the integument of the seed; it is the same compound that gives rancid butter its "distinctive" smell.
Ginkgo biloba is a highly adaptable plant that can grow in almost any temperate or Mediterranean climate. It is also resistant to pollution and pests. These attributes have made the male ginkgos very popular in cities.
The Ginkgoales are a group of gymnosperms that date back to the Permian. The group is thought to be more closely related to conifers than to any other gymnosperms. During the middle Jurassic, the Ginkgoales experienced a great increase in species and reached their maximum diversity during the Cretaceous with several species identifiable in what is now Asia, Europe and North America. During the Paleocene, Ginkgoalean diversity was reduced to a single polymorphic species referred to as Gingko adiantoides. This species is almost indistinguishable from the extant Ginkgo biloba.