Ginkgo

A living fossil from the age of dinosaurs

Ginkgo lived alongside the dinosaurs and hasn't changed since — 200 million years! Its leaves look like little fans, turn gold in autumn and all fall in a single day. It is so tough that after the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, 6 ginkgo trees survived and are still green today. Ginkgo trees live over 1,000 years.

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is the only living species of its division (Ginkgophyta); its fossils are 270 million years old, and in the Jurassic it grew worldwide (Darwin called it a 'living fossil'). In the wild it survives only in China's Tianmu Mountains, but it has been planted at Buddhist temples for millennia (Japan, Korea). Dioecious: male and female trees; the female 'fruit' (seed) smells of rancid butter, and the kernels are eaten in Chinese cooking. Its notched leaves are structurally close to conifers. Extremely resistant to pests, disease and pollution — a city tree (New York, Tokyo). Hiroshima 1945: six trees 1–2 km from the epicentre survived — 'trees of hope'. Leaf extract is sold as a memory aid (effectiveness debated). It lives 1,000–3,000 years.

Fun facts

• Ginkgo has barely changed in 200 million years.
• Six ginkgo trees survived the Hiroshima atomic bomb and still grow today.
• Ginkgo leaves all fall on the same day in autumn.