Ginkgo, the world's first living fossil

Two hundred million years ago, Ginkgo biloba was the oldest tree species in the world Later, more than two million years ago, Quaternary glaciers appeared, and Ginkgo biloba in most areas was destroyed The remains became plant fossils printed in stones In this disaster, only a part of living ginkgo trees have been preserved in our country, which has become a living textbook for studying ancient ginkgo Therefore, Ginkgo biloba is one of the oldest relict plants in the world People call it "the first living fossil in the world." China is the first country in the world to cultivate Ginkgo biloba artificially There are records about Ginkgo biloba in the book "preparing the ancestors of all Fang" written by Chen Jingyi in the Southern Song Dynasty in 1265, which is earlier than other countries in the world Ginkgo biloba is a rare long-lived tree Ancient ginkgo trees have been found in many places in China, especially around some ancient temples, trees planted for hundreds and thousands of years can often be seen Like the famous three treasures tree of Huanglong in Huangshan Huanglong Temple, one of them is ginkgo biloba, with a diameter of nearly 2 meters The Ginkgo biloba in Beijing tantuo temple is more than one thousand years old The oldest Ginkgo biloba in the world should also be the large Ginkgo biloba in Dinglin temple, Juxian County, Shandong Province, China The tree is 24.7 meters high, 15.7 meters around the chest, and 200 square meters under the canopy It is said that it was planted in the Shang Dynasty, and the natural ginkgo forest can be found up to now All these prove that China is the hometown of Ginkgo biloba Ginkgo biloba was introduced to Europe and the United States more than 200 years ago Many famous botanical gardens are very proud to plant "the world's first living fossil" - Ginkgo biloba Ginkgo biloba is the only remaining species of gymnosperms in ginkgo family, dioecious According to the characteristics of branches, leaves and fan-shaped veins of Ginkgo biloba, it is different from other more evolved gymnosperms, and it is the oldest genus of existing seed plants Its seeds are orange yellow like apricots when they are mature, with thick exotesta and white and hard mesotesta, so it is also called "white fruit" The seed kernel of Ginkgo biloba can be used as medicine, which has the functions of moistening lung, relieving cough and strengthening Its branches and leaves contain anti insect toxins, which can prevent moths So someone put a ginkgo leaf in the book to eliminate bookworms Ginkgo biloba leaves also contain a chemical called ginkgo flavone, which can reduce cholesterol, improve the blood circulation of cerebral blood vessels, and prevent cerebral arteriosclerosis and thrombosis Therefore, Ginkgo biloba extract is a new group of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health care drugs in the world, especially in the European and American markets.