Even though I call it our “flower encyclopedia”, I do not want to focus on flowers and flowering plants only. Therefore, and because I have forever been amazed by them, I would like to introduce you today to Ginkgo trees. They are also called living fossils in that they are the same species as discovered in fossil records and have no close living relatives. They basically survived major extinction events throughout their existence and did not adapt in any way or form new species. This means that the Ginkgo is a creation so perfect from the start that it did not have to go down the road of evolution in order to survive.
Not only do the oldest fossil records of Ginkgos date back 270 million years, but the individual trees can also have a lifetime of hundreds of years. The oldest existing one is said to be 3000 years old. So, what is their secret?
The tree is deep rooted and thus resistant to damage from wind and snow. Ginkgos feature insect-resistant wood and are also not susceptible to diseases. That and the fact that they have the ability to develop aerial roots make them very robust.
As ferns, Ginkgos do not have flowers to take care of their reproduction but motile sperm . They have separate sexes with some trees being male and some being female. The male trees bear cones the female trees seeds.
There are so many more amazing facts around Ginkgos, but unfortunately I cannot cover them all in this post.
Wishing you a nice week!
