Silver apricot

Ginkgo biloba is one of the world's oldest living tree species, with fossil records dating back to around 270 million years ago. It is often referred to as a ‘living fossil’. The ginkgo has no close living relatives and is the only extant species in the phylum ‘Ginkgophyta’. The name ginkgo comes from the Chinese 銀杏 (yínxìng) meaning ‘silver apricot’. In autumn female ginkgo trees produce highly unpleasant scented apricot-like fruit. This tree was planted in the Walled Garden in 1953.