Science Source Stock Photo - Fossilised ginkgo leaves

Fossilised ginkgo leaves

Description: Fossilised ginkgo leaves. Ginkgos were woody, arborescent gymnosperms with characteristic fan-shaped, lobate leaves. They were abundant during the Mesozoic era (225-64 million years ago) in the temperate belt of the northern hemisphere. Today the group is represented by just one surviving species, Ginkgo biloba, the Maidenhair tree, which grows in south-eastern China. Ginkgo bilboa may have only been saved from extinction by the attentions of gardeners in the Far East - it was first seen by a European in Japan in 1690. As the sole survivor of a once great race, G. biloba might well be described as a living fossil.

Credit:

Sinclair Stammers/Science Source

Unique identifier: SS2175384

Legacy Identifier: SC5707

Type: Image

Size: 3614px × 2368px (~24 MB)

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