Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba, the tree that time forgot, is an enigmatic living fossil, characterized by morphological stasis with almost no morphological change for over 200 million years. G. biloba is the sole survivor of a once diverse and widespread lineage of gymnosperms. Over millions of years of history, this lineage survived not only the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction, but also, more recently, the Pleistocene glaciations, to become a relict species, endemic to China, until recently. In a remarkable turn of fate, this species has become redistributed globally due to its high medicinal and ornamental value, as well as its power to act as a source of artistic and religious inspiration. As the only living species within the division Ginkgopsida, G. biloba occupies an isolated position in plant evolution and is a key point of reference for understanding a great variety of extinct plants. Given its phylogenetic position, the genome of this plant provides crucial insights into evolutionary history and, eventually, should facilitate the conservation and management of this economically valuable relict taxon. Ginkgo biloba: (Trends in Genetics , 488–489; 2021)Chen et al.Trends in GeneticsJuly 12, 2021In BriefErrors in the time scale below the tree of the first figure have been corrected. Full-Text PDF