Living fossil

Not a very exciting blip today I am afraid, but an interesting one.....
Strapped for a blip after work I remembered this Ginkgo biloba tree growing at the end of St Leonard's road in Horsham.
At this time of year the Ginkgo sheds it's primitive yellow leaves, which have an interesting shape, however that isn't the only interesting thing about it...
Ginkgo bilboa comes from a genus of unusual non-flowering plants, which was first noted (from fossils) in the Permian, 250 million years ago. Since then all of the genus bar this one species have become extinct.
Today Ginkgo bilboa can be found growing wild in China, but cultivated specimens can be found across the world. It is extremely similar to fossils remains and appears to have evolved very little over time.
It seems strange to look at this leaf and know you are looking through a window back into the past........