Ginkgo

Ginkgo is the only living representative of the order Ginkgoales (division Ginkgophyta), which contained approximately 15 genera that date from the Permian Period (about 298.9 million to 251.9 million years ago). Extinct genera, such as Ginkgoites and Baiera, are known from fossilized leaves that are similar to those of the present-day tree. The ginkgo is often termed a living fossil because it was once unclear whether uncultivated groups of ginkgo could be found in the wild.