Ginkgo

Ginkgo
Scientific classification

Ginkgo is a genus of highly unusual non-flowering plants. The genus first appeared during the jurassic, with all but one species dying out during the pliocene. Gingko biloba is the only living representative today. The scientific name is also used as the English name. The order to which it belongs (Ginkgoales), first appeared in the Permian, 270 million years ago, possibly derived from "seed ferns" of the order Peltaspermales, and now only contains this single genus and species. The rate of evolution within the genus has been slow, and almost all its species had become extinct by the end of the Pliocene; the exception is the sole living species Ginkgo biloba, which is only found in the wild in China, but is cultivated across the world, though it remains endangered in its native range. The relationships between ginkgos and other groups of plants are not fully resolved.

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