Tag: Living fossil

At Kew Gardens, Ginkgo biloba – a meeting with these remarkable prehistoric trees

Categories Architectural Plants, Autumn garden, General comment, Open to the public, Ornamental trees, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Seasonal colour1 Comment on At Kew Gardens, Ginkgo biloba – a meeting with these remarkable prehistoric trees

Ginkgo biloba at Kew Gardens today. Gorgeous golden, buttery loveliness... http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/ginkgo-biloba This remarkable tree is known as a 'living fossil', as it is the sole survivor of an ancient group of trees that date back to beyond the time of the dinosaurs. Ginkgo fossils are common in the rocks of the Jurassic and Cretaceous, but…

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A ferocious cycad – Encephalartos ferox

Categories General comment, Open to the public, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Travel broadens the mindLeave a Comment on A ferocious cycad – Encephalartos ferox

Not for the average conservatory, Encephalartos ferox, almost a living fossil and apparently a ferocious one too (ferox). And Orange, or reddish-orange, these cones. Altogether striking, enjoying the heat and high humidity of the Palm House at Kew. http://www.kew.org/plants/cycads/pollination.html