MikeLigalig.com

The ginkgo biloba tree is a common sight on the streets of cities everywhere and often overlooked, but they have an incredible heritage. It is the oldest tree species that still exists unchanged, in this case for the past 200 million years.

The seeds smell terrible—almost like vomit—but it’s suspected that the odor attracts some animals to help sow the species around. The Chinese were the first to recognize the worth of the ginkgo about 1,000 years ago when they began to propagate it, most likely as a nut tree. They still mainly use the seeds for medicinal purposes, and some health products sitting on shelves in the West are also made from an extract of the ginkgo’s butterfly-shaped, pest-resistant leaves. All other trees related to the ginkgo have long since gone extinct, leaving only the ginkgo biloba tree to withstand everything being thrown at it—including an atom bomb. A tree growing outside of a Japanese temple when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 remarkably sprouted new leaves the next spring. It was about 700 meters (0.5 mi) from the epicenter of the explosion.

This species is blessed with longevity. It’s still a youngster when it turns a century old. This botanical wonder’s unprecedented survival can be partially explained by its ability to beat pests and diseases and its knack for re-sprouting under stress, but how it evolved, what originally pollinated it, and why the other ginkgo species died out are questions botanists are still struggling to solve. -- http://listverse.com/

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80327.0

Is There a Way to Tell the Difference Between Genders in Young Ginkgo Trees?

If a ginkgo is still undeveloped, check its buds when they open in springtime. A male ginkgo shows the beginnings of pollen cones alongside the emerging clusters of leaves. In female ginkgo trees, slender shoots grow alongside the leaves instead. These shoots are destined to become the seeds of the female ginkgo once it reaches maturity.

How Do Ginkgo Trees Reproduce?

The reproduction of the ginkgo is more akin to that of a fern or moss than of other trees. Upon pollination, the ginkgo sperm contained in the pollen are propelled toward the archegonia of the female ginkgo seed by several thousand flagella. These sperm approach the ovule in pairs, with one of the pair successfully fertilizing. This fertilization occurs in early autumn, around the same time the seeds fall from the female ginkgo.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80327.0