35. Gingkoaceae

I was in the tea house at the Chinese Garden in Portland recently and read on the menu that gingko is the oldest tree. That made me pause, since I had always heard that bristlecone pine was the oldest tree. It turns out it depends on what you mean. Certain specimens of bristlecone pine are the oldest "non-clonal" individual trees. Gingko biloba on the other hand is the longest surviving species, tracing its origins back some 270 million years. It is the only surviving member of the Gingkoaceae family, and as such is considered a living fossil.

The unique fishtail shape of the gingko leaf is a sure sign that we are not dealing with any ordinary tree, but one with a rich heritage. Fossils of similarly shapes leaves date back to the Mesozoic Era. Gingko biloba is native to China, where for centuries it has been cultivated for food and medicine as well as for its beauty. Food? The nuts are actually prized in both Chinese and Japanese cooking. Medicinally, herbal extracts are best known for promoting memory and concentration. As with so many herbal remedies, there are conflicting studies and the claims are inconclusive.

Several gingkos were among the only living plants to survive the bombing of Hiroshima. To this day the trees are said to be alive and healthy. If that is not a testament to the power of these trees to persist in the face of the craziest destructive forces that man or nature can come up with, I don't know what is. In a nutshell, gingkos are long term beings hard-wired for long term survival.