Ginkgo

Ginkgo is a genus of non-flowering plants that has a single species, the tree Ginkgo biloba, also known as the maidenhair tree. Ginkgo is used as both the scientific name and the English name for this plant genus, which belongs to the order Ginkgoales. Ginkgoales, which now contains only the singlular genus Ginkgo, first appeared in the Permian, 270 million years ago, and is possibly derived from "seed ferns" of the order Peltaspermales. By the end of the Pliocene, almost all species within Ginkgoales had become extinct. The sole living genus and species, Ginkgo biloba, within the order Ginkgoales and phylum Ginkgophyta, grows wild in China and is cultivated across the world. Due to slow evolutionary change, the Ginkgo tree has been called a “living fossil.” Fossils dated from more than 200 million years ago are almost identical to Ginkgo today.

Separate female and male Gingko produce cones. Wind disperses pollen from male cones to female cones. Once pollen is inside the cone, it germinates to form a male gametophyte, which releases mobile flagellated sperm into the ovule and fertilize the egg. Ginkgo is a seed plant that produces flagellated sperm, which is uncommon. The female cones or fruits of Ginkgo produce a foul smell due to butyric acid when ripening.