An ancient gingko tree, believed to be 2,800 years old, has been
discovered in a village in Qinhuangdao of north China's Hebei
Province.
The trunk of the tree has a perimeter of over four meters, and its
crown covers about 0.07 hectare.
Zhang Yuntao, an expert on ancient trees, said that it was the
suitable geological position, weather and soil that enabled the
tree to survive so many years.
He
also attributed the tree's survival to the strong protection
consciousness of local people.
The gingko is a dioecious plant species--comes in both sexes--which
survived the glacial period over 2 million years ago in China.
The tree is also known as the "longevity tree" because it can live
up to 1,000 years. Gingkoes are highly valued for their medicinal
properties.
(Xinhua)