Ginkgo
Ginkgo Ginkgo, genus of deciduous trees; the maidenhair tree is the only living representative of its family and order, although other plants of this order were abundant in the Mesozoic era. The ginkgo has been preserved as a sacred tree in Chinese temple gardens since ancient times. Botanists long believed that the species would have become extinct without this care, but wild ginkgos have been found in recent years in remote valleys of western China. Ginkgo trees grow 12 to 37 m (40 to 120 ft) tall. The ginkgo leaf is a fan-shaped structure with veins arising from the base and branching dichotomously throughout. The common name, maidenhair tree, is derived from the resemblance in venation between the ginkgo and the maidenhair fern. Larger branches of the ginkgo are covered with dwarf branches, called spurs, which grow slowly and bear leaves yearly. The ginkgo is dioecious—that is, male and female cones are borne on separate trees. Male cones produce pollen that is distributed by wind;...