Ginkgoales

Abstract

Ginkgoales is an ancient group which appeared in the Permian, and was well-represented and nearly worldwide in distribution in the Mesozoic. Their maximal diversity occurred during the Middle Jurassic, and remains have been collected from many countries: Alaska, Greenland, Scandinavia, Siberia, Mongolia, England, Europe, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India, tip of South Africa and South and North America. These plants flourished for over 150 million years. By the beginning of the Oligocene (Tertiary), only 2 out of ca. 19 genera survived; Ginkgo adiantoides is one of these. This species became extinct by the Pliestocene (Tertiary), and Ginkgoales has been represented by the extant Ginkgo biloba—the “living fossil”. It appeared in the Jurassic, and became extensively distributed in the Tertiary. In later periods, it was abundant in the more northern latitudes. At present, its natural occurrence is restricted to a small inaccessible region in southeastern China (see Chap. 1).