Ginkgo, a "living fossil" from the same period as dinosaurs

Ginkgo, a Chinese specialty, is a world-famous ancient tree species, known as a "living fossil". It is also known as the maidenhair tree. It is often planted as a street tree, landscape tree, and garden shade tree in Beijing. I believe everyone is very familiar with ginkgo. It has unique leaves, fan-shaped leaves, long petioles, and bifurcated veins. It is a beautiful colorful leaf species in autumn; its "fruit" (ginkgo is a gymnosperm, without fruit, "fruit" is actually its seed) ginkgo is a medicinal material and can also be eaten (eating too much can easily cause poisoning). Today, let's take you to explore more of the mysteries of ginkgo.

Why is it called "Ginkgo"? What does "Gingko tree" mean?

According to legend, before the Song Dynasty, Ginkgo was called "Duck Feet" because its leaves resembled duck feet. It was presented as a tribute in the early Song Dynasty. Song Renzong saw that its appearance resembled a small apricot and the "apricot kernel" was white, so he named it Ginkgo. Therefore, the name of Ginkgo was bestowed by the emperor.

The name "Gongsun Tree" was first mentioned in "Ru'nan Nu Shi" by Zhou Wenhua in the Ming Dynasty. "Gong planted and his grandson ate it." People called it "Gongsun Tree" because of its slow growth. But there is another saying. Tong Pingya's "Ginkgo History" said: "It is said that the ancestor of the Chinese nation, Huangdi Xuanyuan, had the surname Gongsun. The life span of ginkgo can be compared with the history of Chinese written records, so it is called "Gongsun Tree". Therefore, people later revered ginkgo as a "sacred tree" and a "holy tree".

Why is it a “living fossil”?

Ginkgo is one of the oldest relict plants in the world (Ginkgo, Metasequoia, Chinese Glyptostroboides, and Davidia involucrata are all relict plants unique to China). Relict plants are an ancient plant group that has witnessed the history of biological evolution on Earth. Most of the closely related groups of relict plants have become extinct, so they are also relatively isolated and slowly evolving plants. Ginkgo is the only remaining "seedling" of the Ginkgo family, Ginkgo class, Ginkgoales, Ginkgophylum, and Ginkgo genus. All species closely related to it have become extinct.

The earliest fossil record of ginkgo biloba found so far is from 270 million years ago, when it actually coexisted with dinosaurs. More than 2 million years ago, the Quaternary glaciers appeared, and most of the ginkgo biloba trees were destroyed. In this disaster, only a part of the ginkgo trees were preserved in my country, and they have continued to this day. People call it "the world's first living fossil."

▲160 million-year-old ginkgo fossils found in Yi County, Liaoning (Photo credit: Zhou Z, Zheng S. The missing link in Ginkgo evolution. [J]. Nature, 2003)

How to eat the “stinky” ginkgo “fruit”?

Many people complain that when they step on the "gingko nuts" that have fallen to the ground, they stink just like stepping on shit. Some people describe it as rotten butter mixed with the smell of vomit. In fact, it is because the yellow and soft part of the ginkgo nut (the outer seed coat) contains substances such as butyric acid, which gives off an unfriendly smell. But you will find that after removing this outer seed coat, you will find the seeds of the ginkgo, the ginkgo nuts. The white and hard skin of the ginkgo nut is the middle seed coat. After peeling it off, the brown layer is the inner seed coat. After peeling it off, you will find the slightly bitter ginkgo kernels that can be eaten!

There are so many ways to eat ginkgo nuts, such as roasting with salt, cooking porridge, cooking, and making desserts. They can be salty or sweet, and they taste unique. However, raw ginkgo nuts must not be eaten because they are poisonous. Ginkgo nuts contain 4'-methoxypyridoxine and cyanogenic glycosides. Eating them raw or in excess can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and even confusion and convulsions. Ginkgo nuts are delicious, but please eat them in moderation.