Ginkgoaceae

Distinctive fan-shaped leaves with parallel forking veins radiating outward from the leaf-stalk rather than a central midrib, on a deciduous tree; reproduction is by exposed seeds on separate male and female trees rather than by flowers or typical cones.

The sole living member of an entire ancient plant division, essentially unchanged in the fossil record for over 200 million years — one of the closest living things to a 'living fossil' in the plant kingdom.

To check whether a plant belongs to Ginkgoaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.