The odds are you walked past a gingko biloba tree — one of the most popular urban trees in Vancouver. Gingko biloba trees have grown for nearly 270 million years — they're one of the oldest living species of trees on Earth. According to Tracey, the gingko biloba tree is a living fossil, meaning it closely resembles species that existed millions of years ago that are only known through the fossil record. According to Tracey, wild gingko biloba trees may exist in pockets in eastern China. When the whole city was flattened and devastated by the atomic bomb, six gingko trees remained alive."

Source: CBC News September 18, 2016 23:02 UTC