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Young Ginkgo Tree In Autumn Colors Grows On Banks Of Chinese River Yuan.
The Ginkgo Tree, an ancient species of conifer, provides an eye-catching display of autumn color.
A small Ginkgo tree growing on the banks of the Yuan River prompted a halt to our journey to the ancient city of Hongjiang. The leaves of the Ginkgo tree were in their autumn colors and in the sunlight they looked like leaves of gold compared with the green leaves of the trees nearby.
The Ginkgo tree is a decideous conifer, and because of its ability to resist diseases, and deter troublesome insects from attacking its wood, an undisturbed Ginkgo tree has a very long life. The Ginkgo tree is said to be the oldest species of conifer in the world, despite the fact that the appearance of the Ginkgo bares no resemblance to the familiar appearnce of the conifer. The leaves of the Ginkgo trees look like ornamental hand fans, whilst the seeds of the Ginkgo tree look like bunches of grapes. One might well ask how it is possible for the Ginkgo tree and the familiar evergreen conifer, to be of the same species!
Claims are made about the medicinal qualities of useage of the leaves of the Ginkgo trees but the benefits appear questionable. Perhaps it is the fact that a Ginkgo tree can live for 100s of years that has given people the idea that if parts of the tree are consumed, in some form or another, then the long life factor of the Ginkgo tree will be passed to the consumer. Ginkgo nuts sometimes called ''silver apricot'' or ''white nuts'' are used in cooking some Asian foods, and cans of such nuts are sold in many Asian food stores.
Claims are made about the medicinal qualities of useage of the leaves of the Ginkgo trees but the benefits appear questionable. Perhaps it is the fact that a Ginkgo tree can live for 100s of years that has given people the idea that if parts of the tree are consumed, in some form or another, then the long life factor of the Ginkgo tree will be passed to the consumer. Ginkgo nuts sometimes called ''silver apricot'' or ''white nuts'' are used in cooking some Asian foods, and cans of such nuts are sold in many Asian food stores.
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Ginkgo Trees
For centuries it was thought to be extinct in the wild, but is now known to grow in at least two small areas in Zhejiang province in Eastern China, in the Tian Mu Shan Reserve. However, recent studies indicate high genetic uniformity among ginkgo trees from these areas, arguing against a natural origin of these populations. Therefore, it has been suggested that the ginkgo trees in these areas appear to have been planted and preserved by Chinese monks over a period of about 1000 years. Whether native ginkgo populations still exist has not been demonstrated unequivocally and is therefore uncertain. Src: Wikipedia.com. '''''
For centuries it was thought to be extinct in the wild, but is now known to grow in at least two small areas in Zhejiang province in Eastern China, in the Tian Mu Shan Reserve. However, recent studies indicate high genetic uniformity among ginkgo trees from these areas, arguing against a natural origin of these populations. Therefore, it has been suggested that the ginkgo trees in these areas appear to have been planted and preserved by Chinese monks over a period of about 1000 years. Whether native ginkgo populations still exist has not been demonstrated unequivocally and is therefore uncertain. Src: Wikipedia.com. '''''
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