Ginkgo

In 1945, a few months after the A-bomb leveled Hiroshima, the blackened, apparently lifeless stubs of ginkgo trees near ground zero sprouted new leaves. Although in its 200 million years on Earth, the ginkgo tree had never before encountered a nuclear blast, it was well-equipped to survive the devastation.

Ginkgo is indifferent to fire, resists bug infestation, and thrives in dirty, polluted air; some individual trees have been known to live for up to 1,000 years. Such tenacity has made the ginkgo the oldest living tree species on Earth, a living fossil preserved from days when dinosaurs plodded the terrain.

Delaying Fossilhood

The medicinal compounds found in this ancient and remarkable tree may enable you to avoid turning into a fossil yourself