Practice question

Ginkgo biloba sole living representative division Ginkgophyta with fossil record extending Permian about 270 million years, morphologically almost unchanged fan-shaped dichotomously veined leaves lacking midrib turning golden autumn, deciduous, dioecious separate male female trees, sperm flagellated motile swimming like cycads ancestral. Such long geological stasis and absence close living relatives earns designation living fossil, term Darwin applied to persisting forms. Modern plant label inaccurate because lineage ancient relictual, flowering gymnosperm contradictory concept gymnosperms never produce true flowers with perianth, aquatic descriptor completely incorrect as Ginkgo terrestrial deciduous tree cultivated globally for medicinal leaves and pollution tolerance.