Ginkgo biloba: a little fan with a long history

Ginkgo biloba has distinctive fan-shaped leaves, often with a notch in the middle. Their veins fork as the leaf widens, and green turns to yellow in autumn. It is the only living species in its genus: a tree with an entire family branch to itself. [1]

Native to China, it is cultivated in many countries but rare in the wild. Female trees produce seeds with a fleshy coating that releases an unpleasant smell as it decays. This is why male specimens are often chosen for ornamental planting. The leaves clearly have the better publicity team. [2]