Botanically, the ginkgo is a fan-shaped tree. This species, often called a bridge plant, combines the characteristics of a conifer with those of a deciduous tree and dates back to the age of the dinosaurs. The tree grows in a distinctive, spreading form with horizontally spreading branches. In large parts of East Asia, the tree is cultivated and revered as a temple plant.
Natural habitat: The ginkgo originated in what is now China – there, it was the only species of its kind to survive the Ice Age. Around 1730, it also became naturalized in Europe.
