Ginkgo

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Video: Ginkgo

Video: Ginkgo
Video: Гинкго билоба ginkgo biloba - чудо БАД или нет ? 2024, March
Ginkgo
Ginkgo
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Ginkgo (lat. Ginkgo) - a genus of plants, consisting of only one species, which managed to survive during all terrestrial cataclysms that have occurred on the planet for 270 million years. This tree, which for the appearance of its leaves is called"

Ginkgo biloba", Which in Russian sounds like"

Ginkgo biloba . The tree has a number of advantages: it is an ornamental plant; its leaves contain substances used for medicinal purposes; the fruits of the tree are edible.

What's in your name

Interestingly, the first human acquaintance with the "Ginkgo biloba" tree happened through the study of fossils, which scientists have determined to be at least 270 million years old. For a long time, the tree was listed among the extinct ancient plant species, and, at that time, it had about 15 species. Imagine the surprise and joy of scientists when in China, in an inaccessible area for humans, a living Kingko tree was discovered, however, represented by only one species. Who knows, maybe he has relatives on Earth, to whom people have not yet been able to trod the path.

The history of the Latin, difficult to pronounce, name of the tree has an almost detective character. On the one hand, it is borrowed from the Japanese language, where the tree is denoted by a hieroglyph, which in English transcription sounds like "ginnan" or "Gin Kyo" and means "silver apricot". On the other hand, errors or misprints were made during romanization, which resulted in the name "Kinkgo". The adjective "biloba", derived from two Latin words "bis" (two) and "loba" (separate), was also added to it, referring to the shape of the leaves.

Description

Although Ginkgo belongs to gymnosperms, that is, less protected against the vicissitudes of life, it has managed to survive and remain in nature to this day. Perhaps the division into males and females helped in this tree, that is, as botanists say, Ginkgo is a dioecious plant.

Trees live an enviable long time. Scientists have determined the age of some of the old residents, which turned out to be equal to 4 thousand years. This lifespan allows the trees not to rush to mature, and therefore flowers on the branches appear, at best, after thirty years of life. Only at this age can the sex of the tree be determined by looking at the flowering.

After all, male and female trees bloom in different ways. Males, waking up from hibernation, simultaneously with tender spring leaves, show the world inflorescences, similar to earrings, not reaching the golden color, but yellowish.

Oddly enough, but female flowers do not try to attract attention to themselves by their appearance, representing rather nondescript single creatures on long pedicels. Only occasionally do they betray their loneliness, appearing in pairs. And they are in no hurry to meet their "betrothed", appearing on female trees only in summer.

Be that as it may, the meeting of male pollen with female flowers occurs, and green fruits hang on the branches, turning yellow as they ripen. This is why the Japanese call them “apricots”. Often the ripening of fruits that have fallen from the branches occurs already on the ground, spreading a not very pleasant smell around them.

However, the smell does not prevent the local population from using the fruit for food. They are boiled, fried and, seasoned with hot spices, are eaten with pleasure.

Healing abilities

Healing potions are prepared from Ginkgo leaves. With their help, they strengthen the circulatory system, adding elasticity to the vessels, freeing them from harmful cholesterol. When the blood is cleaner and more protected, then the whole body works like a Swiss watch.

Use in landscaping

The decorativeness of the leaves, the lush crown of the tree attract landscape designers to Ginkgo. The stoic attitude to the gas content of the air adds to the attractiveness of trees for the landscaping of our cities, saturated with industrial smoke.

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