Oldest ginkgo tree in the world » Where is it and how old is it?

How old is the oldest ginkgo tree in the world?

The only known ginkgo species, Ginkgo biloba, has been native to China for millions of years. The species has also been considered sacred for several thousand years and is mainly planted within Buddhist temples.

Also the world's oldest, living ginkgos are native to China. Probably the oldest specimen is a male ginkgo from the western Chinese province of Guizhou and is around 4,500 years old. Other Chinese ginkgo trees have also reached an age of more than 1000 years, but do not even come close to the impressive age of 'The Li Jiawan Grand Ginkgo King'

How old is the oldest ginkgo tree in Germany?

There are also ginkgo trees over 1000 years old in Japan and South Korea. The first specimen in Europe was probably planted around 1730 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and can still be admired there in the old botanical garden. In Germany, too, in the 18th and 19 Many ginkgoes were planted as ornamental trees in parks and avenues in the 19th century.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe even dedicated the poem 'Ginkgo biloba' to the primeval tree. At the end of the 18th century, the famous poet even had his poetry written in Jena. Century plant a specimen that is now in the Botanical Garden. The oldest ginkgo in Germany is located in Frankfurt-Rödelheim and was planted around 1750.

Why is the ginkgo also referred to as a "living fossil"?

Ginkgos have been around for around 290 million years and were widespread around the world between the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods at the time of the dinosaurs. Of the original 17 genera with numerous species, the Ginkgo biloba species is the only representative of the Ginkgo plants (Ginkgoate). The other species died out millions of years ago, which is why today's ginkgo is also referred to as a "living fossil". - it has survived many millions of years and is now often referred to as the so-called "climate tree" due to its robustness. planted.

What is special about the ginkgo tree?

In the botanical order, the ginkgo occupies a special position between coniferous and deciduous trees, since it cannot be assigned to either of the two classifications. Neither coniferous nor deciduous, ginkgoes are in a class of their own.

Thus, the ginkgo plants developed very early in the history of the earth, at the same time as the first Conifers evolved and represent a sort of intermediate link or transition between both tree orders represent. Like conifers, ginkgoes belong to the nudibranchs, but like deciduous trees, they shed their characteristically shaped leaves in autumn.