Ginkgo biloba, an ancient plant, with its unique leaf shape, brings us a golden yellow every autumn and becomes the finishing touch of the streets.
But, did you know that this seemingly ubiquitous ginkgo biloba has a very scarce wild population and has been listed as endangered.
It is said that as early as 280 million years ago, there were traces of the existence of ginkgo, and such an old ancient tree species is also known as "living fossil" and "Gongsun fruit".
At that time, ginkgo biloba can be said to be a gymnosperm all over the world, mixed with dinosaurs, it can be said that it is the existence of "rotten streets", all kinds of varieties, extremely rich, all over the world.
It's so easy to find a ginkgo tree.
But then an asteroid hit the Earth, and the dinosaurs became extinct for no apparent reason.
The Earth has entered a cold and gloomy ice age, and the climate has changed so much that all but China has wiped out the ginkgo biloba, and only the last survivors of this ancient plant group remain.
Finally survived that difficult period, and the wild ginkgo biloba was like a tenacious little strong, and began its hard support in the Central Plains.
Later, with the development of Chinese civilization, human beings discovered the beauty of this plant and began to cultivate it artificially.
Thus began the path of its spread in the human world with these adorable "broom heads".
However, we must face up to the cruel fact that even if we walk in the streets full of ginkgo, it is difficult for us to encounter wild ginkgo in the true sense.
Although ginkgo trees can now be found in many cities around the world, they are cultivated through vegetative propagation, and even if they can flower and bear fruit, they do not have the ability to reproduce.
The survival status of wild ginkgo biloba can be called "endangered", and the natural population of this seemingly ubiquitous plant is actually pitiful.
Ginkgo biloba is divided into male and female
Did you know that the seemingly ordinary ginkgo biloba actually contains an interesting little secret - it is a dioecious plant, and there is a clear distinction between male and female trees.
This miraculous way of reproduction between the sexes has achieved the ancient and peculiar inheritance of ginkgo.
Unlike males and females in the animal kingdom, dioecious plants in the plant kingdom mean two separate ginkgo trees, which are also wind-borne flowers, and they mainly rely on the wind to transfer pollen from male to female flowers to complete pollination.
The female and male flowers of wild ginkgo biloba grow on different trees and have very different structures.
The male flowers are composed of many stamens, about 5-10 pieces, and are globular mulberry-shaped.
Female flowers, on the other hand, usually have only one sterile stamens and one pistil, which are protected by green winged fruits.
Hermaphroditism increases the difficulty of pollination and their dependence on the environment.
Since ancient times, people have been puzzled about the distinction between male and female ginkgo.
The ancients distinguished according to the leaf shape, the deep leaf lobe is the female plant, and the shallow leaf lobe is the male plant, although this distinction has reference value, but there is also a misjudgment.
It was not until modern times that the observation of flowers and fruits was confirmed, and it turned out that, like most organisms, male ginkgo biloba did not bear fruit, and only female ginkgo biloba would bear fruit.
There is also a difference between male and female ginkgo biloba in the bark, the male bark is dark and cracked, while the female bark is light with cracks, and even the color is grayish-white and light.
The reason why silver is endangered
We all know that ginkgo biloba has been listed as an endangered species, but the reasons for its endangerment can be much more complex than we think.
Based on relevant research, the main reasons for the endangerment of Ginkgo biloba are as follows:
First, habitat loss due to climate change.
Ginkgo biloba is native to the warm, humid climate of the south-central region of the continent, where the environment is very favorable for its growth.
However, in the past 100 years, under the influence of industrialization, the global climate has undergone significant changes, and the temperature in southern China has increased greatly, and drought and flood disasters have increased, which is not conducive to the growth of Ginkgo.
The deterioration of the original habitat environment has greatly reduced the distribution range and population of wild Ginkgo.
Second, the destruction of the living environment caused by human activities.
Wild ginkgo biloba was once found in many primary and natural forests, but it has been severely damaged in large-scale forest development in modern times.
Logging, reclamation, road construction, etc., have reduced the forest area, imbalanced ecosystems, and lost their natural habitat in wild ginkgo.
At the same time, mining and tailings accumulation pollute soil and water sources, and also put pressure on the survival of ginkgo populations.
Third, the limitations of the mode of reproduction.
Wild Ginkgo biloba is a wind-borne pollinator that relies on wind or pollinators, but air pollution exacerbates atmospheric stability and reduces natural pollination rates.
At the same time, a single mode of reproduction also limits the generation of genetic variation.
In addition, after investigation and research, the ginkgo ethnic group is a typical "more female than male", with males accounting for only a dozen percent, and the ratio has reached an astonishing 9:1.
This has left wild populations facing a decline in genetic diversity.
Fourth, improper methods of illegal collection and cultivation.
Due to the beautiful shape of the ginkgo tree and the high value of the wood, some people illegally dig up wild old ginkgo biloba for profit, adding to the scarcity of natural populations.
At the same time, artificial cultivation often uses clone cleavage to reproduce rapidly, and these cultinations lack genetic diversity, and once planted in a large area, it will have an impact on the gene pool of wild populations.
Fifth, the public's awareness of protection is weak.
For a long time, the public has insufficient awareness of ginkgo species and weak awareness of conservation.
Some lawbreakers cut down ginkgo biloba indiscriminately for profit, while the public turned a blind eye and did not form a strong social supervision.
This has also become an important factor hindering the conservation of wild ginkgo.
As a result, the environment in which wild ginkgo seeds germinate and grow is as harsh as the desert, and the baby ginkgo has nowhere to stay but to continue to drift.
Cutting ginkgo biloba is punishable
As a rare tree endemic to the mainland, ginkgo biloba is highly protected by national laws.
However, there are still a few people who steal wild old ginkgo trees out of selfish considerations, which has led to serious consequences.
According to the relevant laws and regulations, such acts of vandalism will eventually be severely punished.
The incident occurred in Qingtaiping Township, Patong County, where millions of ancient ginkgo trees are scattered in the forest area, including more than 200 ancient ginkgo trees that have survived for thousands of years, which is the city's natural heritage.
However, just last year, a 400-year-old ginkgo tree was found in the town that its head had been "shaved", and after an investigation by the relevant departments, it was found that the "murderer" was a resident living next to the "murdered tree".
According to the resident, the ginkgo tree was so large that he was afraid that it would affect his house and travel, so he cut off all the crowns of the ginkgo tree.
But his behavior can be regarded as endangering the national key protected plants, not only was he accused in court, but he also had to pay money and go to prison, which can be said to be a loss to his wife and soldiers.
If you think that you will be punished only if you cut down ancient ginkgo trees and wild ginkgo trees, you are very wrong.
In 2017, a resident of Chengdu illegally cut down a ginkgo tree with a diameter at breast height of more than 30 centimeters in his residential area.
After being informed by the relevant authorities, the resident was fined for violating the "Chengdu Landscaping Regulations", and the amount was 1.5 times the value of the cut ginkgo, and he also had to "cut one and plant three".
brief summary
It can be said that the ancient hermaphroditic reproductive system of Ginkgo biloba has supported its inheritance in hundreds of millions of years of evolution.
Now, when this species is on the verge of extinction, it also looks forward to human protection and care.
As long as each of us does our part for wild ginkgo, I'm sure this ancient plant will pop the streets and not just in museums.