Ginkgoales

Ginkgoales is an order of gymnosperms in the division Ginkgophyta. It includes the living genus Ginkgo, with the sole extant species Ginkgo biloba, commonly called the maidenhair tree, and a broad fossil record including numerous extinct genera such as Ginkgoites and Baiera. The order is characterized by a long, ancient history and limited modern diversity.

Leaves are typically large, fan-shaped, and palmately veined with dichotomous branching. Plants are dioecious; male trees produce pollen cones and female trees produce seed-bearing structures that surround the seed with a fleshy outer layer. The seeds are not true fruits; the outer flesh is a distinctive, often foul-smelling coating when ripe.

Ginkgoales have a fossil record spanning from the Permian through the Mesozoic, with widespread representatives in Laurasian regions. Many leaf forms are known from fossils, including Ginkgoites and Baiera, which document the group’s once-wide distribution and diversity. The modern lineage, Ginkgo biloba, is native to China and has been cultivated for centuries for ornamental and medicinal uses.

In systematics, Ginkgoales is placed in division Ginkgophyta and includes the family Ginkgoaceae, of which Ginkgo is the sole living genus. Fossil evidence shows that Ginkgoales were once diverse and ecologically varied, but today they survive as a relict taxon with a restricted natural distribution and extensive cultivation outside its native range.