Animal Insting

Fossil gingko leaf

Gingko trees have been around for a really, really, really long time, like maybe 270 million years.  There used to be several kinds of gingkos, but now there is only one kind, which is called Gingko biloba.  Scientists have found fossils of gingko leaves that look almost exactly like the gingko we have around today, so this is why the gingko is called a "living fossil."

Lots of gingko trees are growing all over the world, but these are trees that people have planted.  Ginkgos may be extinct in the wild, or maybe there are a few left in two small areas in eastern China.  These might be wild gingko trees, but they also might have been planted by monks during the last 1,000 years or so.

Buddhists revere the gingko, and that is why they plant this tree in their temple gardens.  They have kept records of the trees that were planted, and some are over 500 years old.  The ancient Chinese called the ginkgo "the tree with leaves like a duck's foot," which is a very good description of it, in my opinion.  Another name for the tree is maidenhair-tree because the leaves are shaped like the fronds of a maidenhair fern.

Anyway, like I mentioned before, there are female ginkgo trees that produce stinky seeds.  And there are also male trees that aren't stinky at all.  The male trees make cone things with pollen in them, and then the female trees make seeds.  I thought those things growing on the female trees were fruits, but after doing my research, I learned that they are really soft, squishy seedpods.   

Gingko trees are popular because they grow nicely in towns, and they hardly ever get diseases or bugs or anything like that.  Of course, in some places, it is illegal to plant female gingkos, so a lot of people plant a male cultivar called "Autumn Gold," which probably got its name because in the fall, gingko leaves turn bright yellow, which makes them very pretty to look at.

In Asia, people use the gingko seeds in their cooking.  Also some people think that if you take gingko biloba as a medicine, it will keep you from getting Alzheimer's, but there is no proof that this is true.  What ginkgo can do for sure is it can help your blood circulate better and maybe keep you from getting blood clots.  And having your blood flow better can help you maybe not have headaches, short-term memory loss, depression, or ringing in your ears.