Full Disclosure. I am a biology major! and every biology major knows about the Ginkgo tree! Used in the East for its medicinal qualities, the Ginkgo is remarkable because there is only 1 species is the entire world! Ginkgo biloba . Comparably the maple tree has over 100 different species!. The survival of the ginkgo is all the more remarkable because it nearly became extinct, disappearing from the fossil record in both Europe and North America. It was preserved by Buddhist monks in their gardens in northern China, the tree was rediscovered by western scientists in the 19th century, and now the "living fossil" is planted all over the world. Valued for its graceful form and unusual, fan-shaped leaves, the ginkgo is also disease- and pollution-resistant, making it an excellent tree for urban environments. Ginkgoes can live to be more than 1,000 years old. The tree is probably best known for its curious habit of dropping its leaves all at...